Knights Beat No. 4 Tar Heels in Double-overtime Bout

(Photo by Victor Tan / New Day Review)

Match Recap

ORLANDO, Fla. – For University of Central Florida head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak, her team’s bout with the No. 4 UNC Tar Heels wasn’t just another regular-season matchup. The matchup was more significant for the fifth-year head coach because she would host her former college and national-team head coach, Anson Dorrance.

While the Tar Heels have historically owned the overall record, the Knights opted for a change. Roberts Sahaydak led the Knights (2-1-0) to a 2-1, double-overtime victory over the Tar Heels (1-1-0) at the UCF Soccer and Track Complex Friday night.

“This is like being on Cloud 10. I mean, [Dorrance is] a mentor of mine. He’s like the God of soccer,” Roberts Sahaydak said after the Knights’ first-ever win over UNC. “And so, like, I feel like I’m one of his, you know, disciples, you know? Like, I grew up playing for him. Not just for Carolina but for the national team, too. He was my first national-team coach. So he taught me about competitiveness. So, in a way, his own teachings that were instilled in me beat him.

“He said that my players play like me, which was a huge—that just gave me goosebumps. But that is the best compliment I can get because Anson always said that my best quality was playing with my heart, and he saw that in my team tonight. So, that was the best compliment I can get.”

UCF responded to an early, third-minute goal by the Tar Heels with a goal of their own in the 14th minute. Midfielder Zandy Soree first unloaded a shot at the top of UNC’s box after the layoff by forward Morgan Ferrara. The ball then deflected directly to first-year Knight Dina Orschmann, who took a touch and rifled a right-footed shot past the outstretched arms of UNC goalkeeper Samantha Leshnak.

“I really appreciate this moment,” Orschmann said after the match. “I mean, it’s my second game. I have a lot of favorite moments here in this university, and I really appreciate it… But I know it’s only one game from any game, so we celebrate this evening, but, tomorrow, we’ll focus again to the next game.”

Both teams continued to exchange blows throughout the first half, as UCF out-shot the Tar Heels 6-4 in the opening period. But in the second half and first overtime period, UNC seemed to carry the momentum. Between the second half and first overtime, the Tar Heels out-shot the Knights 11-3.

Though, the Knights needed just one shot in the second overtime to end the match. That came off the foot of Christine Creighton in the 105th minute. For the senior out of Haverhill, Florida, she said this was a “moment of victory.”

“The ball came at my feet, and I turned, and I said, ‘Lord, just help me get this in the goal.’ Just turned and hit it,” Creighton said after the match. “I just had to kick it anywhere past the goalie and just put it on frame… In the locker room, like I said, our motto today was just believe, and we had to settle down, control the ball, even at the end of the game when people are getting tired. We just kept fighting and pushing through, and it’s such a blessing to be able to get the result that we did.”

The Knights wouldn’t have had a chance in the second overtime period if it weren’t for a game-saving stop in the first overtime by goalkeeper Vera Varis. UNC crossed the ball in from the right flank, and, after evading a defender and one UNC attacker, the ball fell to Madison Schultz’s left foot for an on-target shot. Varis had already tracked her way to the back post and was there to make the easy save.

Varis played all of the first half and in both of the overtime periods, recording four saves. Per the status quo, Varis sat for the second half, as Chloe N’Gazi, who finished the night with two saves, got the nod. For Roberts Sahaydak, choosing Varis over N’Gazi in overtime came down to distribution.

“What is so awesome is that we have two starting goalkeepers. And they both played very well tonight,” Roberts Sahaydak said. “I think what got Vera the job in overtime was her distribution. And so we were under pressure, and so we needed to get the ball out, and Vera’s distribution, just historically, is just slightly ahead of Chloe’s, and so we wanted to release pressure from our back by getting the ball higher quicker, especially in overtime. I mean, you know, you don’t have time to build up so much anymore. It’s like run-and-gun a little bit more.”

UCF’s hopes were almost dashed in the 83rd minute when it looked like UNC would take a late-game lead. An offside call negated the would-be goal.

Woman of the Match: Christine Creighton

Creighton didn’t start the match, but she did finish it. She tallied two of the Knights’ 10 shots and one of the Knights’ five on-goal attempts, including the game-winner in the 105th minute.

What’s next?

The Knights will embark on a two-game road trip to Tempe, Arizona, to face the University of Arizona on Sept. 1 and Arizona State University on Sept. 3.

Highlights

GOAL!

Dina gets the equalizer! #ChargeOn pic.twitter.com/Rd1CWFzNME

— UCF Women’s Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) August 25, 2017

HUGE SAVE from Vera!

She keeps us tied 1-1 in overtime! #ChargeOn pic.twitter.com/ZboYGqU1WK

— UCF Women’s Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) August 26, 2017

NDR Notes

• The Knights now have four goal-scorers on their roster. Ferrara and Jessica Taylor scored in a 2-0 shutout of the Stetson Hatters on Aug. 20; Orschmann and Creighton opened their 2017 accounts on Friday.
• UCF was previously 17-0-4 against the Tar Heels.
• Friday’s win over UNC was the first time the Knights hosted the Tar Heels since 1988.

Scoring

Statistics and Starting Lineups

UCF Knights starting XI (4-3-3): Vera Varis (GK); Saga Fredriksson, Maura Aman, Kathellen Sousa, Carrie Lawrence; Zandy Soree, Katriina Kuoksa, Bridget Callahan; Dina Orschmann, Morgan Ferrara, Kayla Adamek

UNC Tar Heels starting XI (n/a): n/a

For more on the Knights, as they look to carry the momentum of beating ranked UNC-Chapel Hill into the rest of the season, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.