Citronauts upset No. 17 Colorado in annual Space Game

Photo courtesy of Aryah Britt

UCF women’s soccer dominated its annual Space Game Friday night, upsetting the No. 17-ranked Colorado Buffaloes 2-0 at the UCF Soccer Complex.

After back-to-back road losses to BYU and Utah, the Knights regrouped and shut down an electric Buffaloes offense.

The Knights rebranded to the Citronauts for their Space Game, exchanging their traditional black and gold kits for their alternate blue ones.

The Citronauts (6-3-1, 1-2-1 Big 12) came out the gate on the offensive and applied pressure early to the Buffaloes’ (8-3-1, 2-2-0 Big 12) backline.

It didn’t take too long for that pressure to break through for the Knights.

In the 13th minute, junior forward Alysiah Lockette scored her second goal of the season assisted by sophomore forward/defender Kalena Bellini, giving the Citronauts an early 1-0 lead.

“I knew as soon as Kalena got the ball she was going to put one in and I knew [Naomi] was going to be there, so I had to be there too,” Lockette told reporters postgame. “It just so happened to slip through, and I was able to run right in with it.”

With the Buffaloes down early, the Citronauts saw more pressure from the Colorado offense. However, the Citronauts’ defense stood firm to prevent an equalizer.

An opportunity for Colorado arrived when a yellow card shown to redshirt junior defender Jada Silvest in the 30th minute positioned the Buffaloes in favorable free kick position. The attempt faltered right into the hands of junior goalkeeper Kaina Cesar and the lead stood 1-0.

Just before the end of the first half, the Buffaloes nearly got their equalizer.

However, a shot by Colorado forward Ruby Hayward to the bottom of the net was saved by Cesar to hold the Citronauts’ lead.

The UCF offense outshot Colorado 7-to-4 in the first half. The Citronauts tallied six shots on goal while the Buffaloes recorded three.

The Citronauts maintained that offensive pressure in the second half.

Just five minutes into the half, the Citronauts extended their lead on a shot by senior forward Naomi Clark, who found the top right corner of the net to make it 2-0.

Clark’s goal marked her ninth of the season for the Knights.

The Citronauts’ offense kept up the pressure as they looked to extend their lead further on the Buffaloes. However, a tough Colorado defense made it difficult.

Likewise, the Colorado offense fought hard to get themselves on the board, but a stingy UCF defense prevented any further opportunities.

For a high-powered Colorado offense led by senior forward Hope Leyba, the Knights limited its chances and kept opportunities to a minimum.

Silvest credited the team’s collective effort in stopping Colorado’s attack.

“It was a big team effort; we were just working for each other the whole game,” Silvest said. “We had good pressure, cover, and balance in the back; we really had each other’s back.”

With the blown horn, UCF secured its sixth win of the season and its second win in its Space Game history for women’s soccer.

UCF finished the night tallying 14 total shots compared to Colorado’s eight. The Knights’ backline only allowed four shots on goal from the Buffaloes.

The Knights’ attack tallied ten shots on goal, emphasizing the opportunities they created.

Head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak credited the team’s ability to bounce back after a winless skid on the road in Utah and credited the home crowd for their efforts.

“I’m really glad that we bounced back after a rough Utah weekend,” Sahaydak said. “I knew we had it in us and I think we just needed to come back to Orlando.”

Unfortunately for the Knights, they will head back on the road to Fort Worth, Texas, to take on the TCU Horned Frogs on Thursday at 8 p.m. at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium.