UCF Renews Contract With Olympian
The UCF Knights Women's Soccer team has secured its coach through to the next decade.
The program announced coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak has signed a three-year contract extension that keeps her in Orlando through the 2030 season, according to a news release on Friday afternoon.
Orlando is Home 🏡
— UCF Women's Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) April 24, 2026
Coach Tiff has officially signed a three-year contract extension!
🔗 https://t.co/BuIYZVVCJd pic.twitter.com/9uq85yG7Qa
The move comes on the heels of Sahaydak, along with Tim Sahaydak, her associate head coach and husband, leading the Knights to their most wins in a single season since 2017 and an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time since 2022, making it the first in the Big 12 era. It also marked UCF's sixth NCAA Tournament appearance of the Sahaydak era and the third time it advanced past the first round.
“UCF is incredibly special to me and our family,” Roberts Sahaydak said in a statement. “Tim and I come to work every day with a deep sense of gratitude, knowing we have the opportunity to do something that truly fulfills us. We are challenged, supported, and pushed to be better here every day."
Sahaydak is set to embark on her 14th season at the helm of the Knights in 2026. By season's end, she would tie Amanda Cromwell for the longest-serving coach in the program's history. Should she finish out this contract extension through the 2030 season, she would stand alone as the longest-serving coach in the program's history at 18 seasons.
“Tiffany has done an outstanding job building our women’s soccer program and leading it with stability and continuity,” Mohajir said in a statement. “She is a tremendous ambassador for UCF and a proven leader who puts our student-athletes in position to succeed on and off the field. We’re excited to extend her leadership and continue building on that momentum following our return to the NCAA Tournament, as we compete at the highest level in the Big 12 and nationally.”
Head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak and assistant coach Keisuke Ota have been called up to their countries’ April international camps to serve as assistant coaches 🇺🇸🇯🇵
— UCF Women's Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) April 10, 2026
Congratulations, Coach Tiff and Coach K 🤩 pic.twitter.com/ozrikloqrt
In addition to her latest NCAA Tournament berth for the Knights, Sahaydak is also fresh off another stint as an assistant coach for the U.S. Women's National Team during its April camp. A former player on the U.S. Women's National Team during its gold-medal run in the 1996 Olympic Games and 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup Championship run, Sahaydak has returned to Team USA in a coaching capacity multiple times since she was first brought on board in 2022 by then-coach Vlatko Andonovski, and has remained the case since Emma Hayes took over the head job in 2024.
This time around, however, she was not the only UCF women's soccer coach to get a call from their country's national team, as one of Sahaydak's assistant coaches, Keisuke Ota, is set to serve as an assistant coach for the Japanese Women's National Team during their April camp. Both teams also squared off in a trio of friendlies during the month, with Team USA coming out on top in two of the three matches.
While the Knights' non-conference schedule for the 2026 season has yet to be released, it is officially known that the Knights' 2026 Big 12 slate begins at 7 p.m. on Sep. 17 against Texas Tech.
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Bryson Turner is a sports journalist who covers UCF Athletics. Turner has contributed to the Black and Gold Banneret, the home for UCF Athletics on SB Nation. He has called the Orlando area home since the age of 8 and received his bachelor's and master's degrees from UCF.
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