Inside The Wildcats

Arizona Soccer Storms Through UCF in Shutout Win

The Wildcats took down UCF in less-than-ideal weather conditions.
Nathaniel Martinez|
The Arizona soccer team huddled together before the stater of a match.
The Arizona soccer team huddled together before the stater of a match. | Madison Farwell, Arizona Athletics

 Arizona soccer of the past five seasons has been trying to get itself back into the postseason, with the program not making the NCAA Tournament since the 2019 season and has had to overcome a pandemic, a coaching change and players transferring out of the program during this time frame.

Since taking over as head coach, Becca Morros has gone 30-34-10 missing the postseason each season. However, during the 2024 season, Arizona went 11-6-2 but missed the NCAA Tournament and showed signs of progress in comparison to the previous seasons under Morros.

Arizona evened its conference record at 1-1 following the most recent win at home in Mulcahy Stadium, beating the UCF Knights 1-0 in a defensive battle that featured heavy downpours towards the end.

Apponequet's Cecelia Levrault reaches out to trap the ball. | Ryan Feeney/Standard-Times Special / USA TODAY NETWORK

Advantage, Arizona

The Wildcats now lead the overall record between them and the Knights at 2-1-1 and hold a two-match winning streak. The two teams first met on September 17, 2010, at Mulcahy Stadium, where the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

They played each other seven years later on September 1, 2017, in Tempe, AZ, where Arizona lost 2-1. Another seven years had passed until Arizona and UCF met again, this time as conference adversaries

Nov 28, 2014; Tucson, AZ, USA; Detailed view of an Arizona State Sun Devils sticker over the logo of the Arizona Wildcats during the 88th annual territorial cup at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The 2024 match was played in Houston, TX, at the Carl Lewis International Complex, where Arizona won 3-2.

Recap and stats

It was a scoreless affair up until the 43rd minute of the match. Aurora Gianes scored the lone goal on a penalty kick to give Arizona the 1-0 lead. The Arizona defense was outstanding for the remainder of the match and did not allow one goal to take the win on a rainy night.

UCF outshot Arizona 8-7, 4-2 with shots on goal. Olivia Ramey saved both of those shots, while the UCF goalie saved three. Arizona now has four shutouts in the season.

Arizona has moved up to the No. 10 spot in the Big 12, four spots from the No. 14 rank it had after losing to Iowa State. UCF is now one spot below Arizona after the loss at No. 11.

TCU now holds the No. 1 ranking after going 2-0 in the Big 12, with Arizona State under it at No. 2 with a 1-0-1 record in the conference.

ASU shares the same record with Houston, Texas Tech, Colorado, and West Virginia. Arizona is currently tied with Kansas, Baylor, and Iowa State.

The Wildcats will be back in action on Sunday, September 28, at 11 a.m. (MST) to take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys in another home match.

Tell us how high you think Arizona will end up in the Big 12 rankings at the end of the season by commenting on our X account. Just click the link to find us.

Published
Nathaniel Martinez
NATHANIEL MARTINEZ

Nathaniel Martinez and a set of shoulder pads at 7 years old. He later graduated from Pima Community College in 2023, where he began writing for the Pima Post. He is working to achieve a Bachelor’s in Mass Communication and Media Studies.