UCF women’s soccer adapts to challenges of spring season
In the 10 months since the season was first disrupted, UCF women’s soccer coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak has relied on adaptability.
That’s just part of soccer, Roberts Sahaydak says, and it’s been a mainstay of her career from her days on the 1999 U.S. women’s national team. As she helped her team prepare for the spring American Athletic Conference season, the coach saw herself and her team tested in new ways.
“My dad was good about teaching me that at a young age,” Roberts Sahaydak said. “Whenever I get frustrated or annoyed he would say, ‘We can just adjust, don’t worry.’ I’ve always had that in the back of my head when things don’t go as planned . ... And I’ve been hearing my dad’s voice a lot more lately.”
Hurdles have been continuous for the Knights. One player was set to move from Sweden in January, only to have her visa appointment delayed. Several seniors set to graduate in December chose to end their careers. Forward Anna Henderson transferred from Louisville in December, but she was required to sit out the spring season.
Roberts Sahaydak knows her team isn’t alone facing these challenges. Seniors throughout the country won’t play in the spring season due to graduation or selection in the NWSL draft. Rosters could be depleted until freshmen and transfers are cleared in the fall.
“Honestly, I have no idea how it’s really going to look,” Roberts Sahaydak said. “Obviously I know how it’s impacted us . ... I don’t know if it’s really a level playing field. You have conferences who played in matches over the fall. It’s just not the same. Everybody is going down a different road and we’ll see where we all end up.”
Despite the uncertainty, Roberts Sahaydak and her team are unified in the excitement of finally playing.
The Knights held several intrasquad scrimmages during the fall, but they couldn’t replicate the challenge of a competitive match. The team was disrupted by COVID-19 tests several times, reverting to small-group training while some players isolated.
Roberts Sahaydak says player enthusiasm has been palpable as they prepare for an exhibition match against Miami on Feb. 7.
“I think we’re more appreciative and more grateful right now just to be playing at all,” she said.
With games starting in February, winter break became a crucial period for the Knights. Rather than allowing players much needed rest with no games on the horizon, Roberts Sahaydak released her team for break with detailed training expectations.
She was impressed by her players, several of whom set personal records on the beep test upon their return.
“It shows me that they’re ready to go, that they’re taking the spring seriously, that they want to be ready,” Roberts Sahaydak said. “They did their job over break, which made me really proud of their commitment level.”
For Roberts Sahaydak, the reduced schedule of the spring season offers some benefits. During a standard season, teams play two games a week on Thursdays and Sundays. This spring, however, teams are only
scheduled for one weekly game.
This will give the Knights more time to study film and learn more about their teammates, slowing down the typically breakneck pace. She said it will help balance out the challenges created by the delayed season.
“In the back of my mind, I also think this season is a great way to really test ourselves and see how we’re going to be in the fall,” Roberts Sahaydak said.
The spring season will also allow the Knights to return to travel, an important key to the team’s chemistry.
COVID-19 protocol has eliminated the Knights’ from the most basic forms of team bonding — eating meals, hanging out after practice.
Roberts Sahaydak noticed a visible difference for her team, especially players who arrived in the fall and have been mainly isolated with their roommates.
Team connection is a forefront focus for Roberts Sahaydak. The coach and the athletic department offered a variety of programming — speakers from Roberts Sahaydak’s national-team days, conversations focused on the wellness of Black athletes. But all of this took place remotely, and the coach said there’s only so much that can be done over a Zoom call.
Traveling during the season will give the Knights a chance to spend more time together. It won’t be normal — the team will be tested before each trip, meals will be taken to-go rather than in restaurants — but it’s still adds cohesiveness of a typical season.
Winning is still the goal this season. But for Roberts Sahaydak, supporting her players is equally important.
“It’s human instinct, you know, to want to be part of something big and part of something bigger than yourself,” Roberts Sahaydak said. “I want to make sure that every player of ours has that feeling and they have that sense of belonging and ownership and commitment.”