鈥淏eing back on the field and feeling the support of my teammates and coaches was an indescribable feeling. Those moments meant the world to me,鈥� says Turner, who played the entire 90-minute session, had two saves and was recognized as a graduating senior during the pre-game senior-night ceremony. 鈥淲e learn a lot about ourselves when we are forced to overcome life鈥檚 circumstances. Through all that I鈥檝e experienced in the last year, I鈥檝e found strength that I never knew I had. I鈥檝e found a sense of peace that I value more than anything.鈥�

A native of Frisco, Texas, Turner will be earning a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology during 麻豆原创鈥檚 Summer 2021 Commencement. Now in cancer remission, she is leaving the university with an optimistic resolve toward realizing her dream of playing soccer professionally and eventually becoming a success in the business world.

Recently, Turner signed with a sports management agency and plans to try out for international soccer clubs in Europe this fall. A soccer player since 6, she says the sport speaks to her love for team unity as well as her naturally physical and competitive nature. Prior to coming to 麻豆原创 in 2019, Turner was a two-year member of the Women鈥檚 Premier Soccer League and toured with the Puerto Rican Women鈥檚 National Team in 2017.

At 麻豆原创, Turner has earned the reputation for being a gritty competitor. Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak, the head coach of the women鈥檚 soccer team, believes Turner has all that it takes to succeed in both athletics and her professional endeavors.

鈥淣ahla Turner is a true story of perseverance, and it has been a personal pleasure coaching her and watching her grow as an athlete and a person.” 鈥� Tiffany Roberts-Sahaydak, 麻豆原创 women’s soccer coach

鈥淣ahla Turner is a true story of perseverance, and it has been a personal pleasure coaching her and watching her grow as an athlete and a person. From the beginning of her ordeal, she was laser focused on beating cancer and coming back to the soccer field better than ever,鈥� says Roberts Sahaydak, who has been Turner鈥檚 coach since she transferred to 麻豆原创. 鈥淲hen I look at all that she has overcome in the last year, I have no doubts that this young woman is destined for greatness in anything that she puts her mind to.鈥�

Turner was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma on Jan. 9, 2020 鈥� although her battle with cancer began five months prior. Turner recalls a nagging, acute pain in her left hip first started in July 2019. Believing that she had simply landed awkwardly on her hip during practice, she waived off the pain as a minor injury.

Yet, the pain persisted. By the end of the fall semester, it had evolved into a debilitating ailment, leaving Turner unable to walk without the assistance of crutches. During winter break, she took a biopsy that eventually led to her cancer diagnosis.

鈥淎t first, I was in disbelief. I actually laughed because I thought they had made a mistake,鈥� says Turner, who received her diagnosis while she was in the Women鈥檚 Soccer training facility surrounded my well-wishers. 鈥淭hen, when the reality of the situation finally set in, I just lost it 鈥� screaming, crying and wondering why all of this was happening to me?鈥�

Following her diagnosis, Turner endured through eight months of chemo and proton therapy treatments. During her treatment period, she says much of her time was spent in self-reflection, examining how she views life and her career trajectory after soccer.

“I take nothing for granted now. I know now that the only thing certain in life is death, and you always have to go through life like tomorrow might be your last day.鈥濃�� Nahla Turner, 麻豆原创 student-athlete

The daughter of a software-sales executive and a human resources professional, Turner aspires to a career in entrepreneurship once she retires from professional sports. She has interests in everything from fashion design to sports management and looks forward to exploring all of those options as she endeavors through her athletics career. For now, her primary focus is on soccer and she approaches the sport with a greater appreciation for what it means in her life.

鈥淭his stage in my life has given me a chance to discover who I am as a person, and I do feel that there鈥檚 a difference between who I was then and who I am now,鈥� she says. 鈥淣ow, I am grateful for everyday that I have and each thing that I have earned in this world. I take nothing for granted now. I know now that the only thing certain in life is death, and you always have to go through life like tomorrow might be your last day.鈥�

]]> Nahla-5-Cleaned-low-light_Resized /news/womens-soccer-paces-strong-ucf-ncaa-apr-numbers/ Tue, 19 May 2020 17:15:05 +0000 /news/?p=109562 Women’s soccer leads a record nine 麻豆原创 sports that earned perfect 1000 Academic Progress Rate scores for 2019-20.

“I was actually really nervous for this game, because I want it so badly for this team and the seniors,” 麻豆原创 head coach聽Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak聽said. “I am so proud of the senior class. Watching them be happy is the best thing for me. I wanted this so badly for them tonight. It is just so sweet. I am proud to see them celebrating. They know that we are not done yet. We are not done yet at all. We made a lot of goals this season and they got that done.”

麻豆原创 (12-1-2, 7-0-2 The American) entered the match with a one-point lead in the American Athletic Conference standings. The Knights would clinch the regular season title, and the right to host the conference tournament, with a victory or a draw.

The Knights fell behind less than a minute before halftime when USF (11-3-1, 7-1-1 The American) converted a penalty kick.

Feeding off the energy of the crowd 鈥� a season-best 1,410, the Knights began their rally in the second half. In the 58th minute, senior聽Morgan Ferrara聽found freshman聽Dina Orschmann聽in the box, setting up the equalizer.

Junior聽Vera Varis聽came up with two saves in both overtime periods to keep it a tie game. After 110 minutes, the teams remained locked at 1-1, leading to the draw.

麻豆原创 and USF will each earn three points in the聽War on I4聽rivalry series. The Bulls now lead 9-3.

麻豆原创 captured its fourth title in The American.

The Knights kept it rolling.

NEXT UP
麻豆原创 will host the 2017 American Athletic Conference Championship beginning Nov. 1. The Knights return to action on Nov. 3 and will face the winner of the 4-5 matchup at 7 p.m.

BECOME A PART OF THE WATCH
Membership to Knights Watch, the official supporters group of 麻豆原创 Soccer, begins at $15 for students and $50 for fans. Packages include tickets to all home contests for men’s and women’s soccer, a Knights Watch T-Shirt, a soccer scarf and a variety of free catered tailgates.re.

“This win is definitely an accomplishment to be proud of, but we don’t stop here,鈥� said head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak. 鈥淲e will build off this experience as we go after all the goals we want to accomplish this season, including advancing to the College Cup.鈥�

There are few situations in athletics as dramatic as overtime in collegiate soccer. With the “golden goal” rule in effect, the moment either team scores, the match ends instantaneously, delivering pure euphoria for the victor and agony for the defeated.

With the score deadlocked 1-1 at the end of regulation of Friday’s match against No. 4 North Carolina, 麻豆原创 head coach Roberts Sahaydak huddled the women’s soccer team together on the field and reminded the players of one of the goals they set during preseason:

Remain undefeated at home.

No exceptions. No asterisks. Especially against North Carolina.

So after time stopped in the 105th minute when Christine Creighton‘s shot connected with the upper left corner of the net, the Knights rushed the field and the dogpile cleared, Roberts Sahaydak huddled up her team again.

“This is seriously the best win I have ever been a part of 鈥� I’m not joking,” said the World Cup champion and Olympic gold medalist.

The team didn’t let her finish. They began jumping and a chant broke out: “Tiff! Tiff! Tiff! Tiff!”

Her words spoke to the magnitude of the moment.

North Carolina women’s soccer is considered one of the top dynasties in any collegiate or professional sport. Under the direction of Hall of Famer Anson Dorrance, the Tar Heels have captured 22 of the 36 national championships in the history of the game.

Prior to Aug. 25, 麻豆原创 and UNC had squared off 21 times in 36 years, and the Knights had yet to notch a mark in the win column. They came close in 2011 with a dramatic finish in the NCAA Sweet 16, advancing to the Elite 8 in penalty kicks, but like all postseason shootouts, that memorable match is officially entered in the record books as a tie.

On Friday, 麻豆原创 became the 31st program to record a victory against UNC since 1979. The outcome marked the Tar Heels’ 68th loss ever, which averages out to less than two losses a season.

So the win, which also marked the Knights’ first victory over a top-five opponent since 2009, won’t soon be forgotten.

“It was, by far, the best experience I’ve had in four years,” senior forward said

“It’s hard to compare to anything else.”

“And what made the victory even sweeter, echoed senior defender , was that it was a total team effort.”

Both Adamek and Fredriksson pointed to the culture that the Sahaydaks have created at 麻豆原创 as a big reason for the victory.

“Over the past four years, Coach has really tried to create this culture that I really think we have this year,” Adamek said. “I think that’s what makes our team so special. We definitely wanted to return the favor and get the win for her.”

Roberts Sahaydak, who played for the Tar Heels from 1995-98 and won two national championships in Chapel Hill, is the first UNC alumna head coach to beat Dorrance, who has notched all 811 of his wins at Carolina.

“(Coach Dorrance) is a mentor of mine,” Roberts Sahaydak said. “I grew up playing for him. He was my first national team coach. He told me (at the end of the game) that my players play like me. That is the best compliment that I can get because (Coach Dorrance) always said that my best quality was playing with my heart. He saw that in my team tonight.”

麻豆原创 won’t be back in action at home until Sept. 8, but with a trip to Arizona and Arizona State on the docket over Labor Day weekend, the Knights will use the confidence-builder against UNC as they shift focus to their next challenge.

But prior to Saturday night’s 2-1 win, 麻豆原创 head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak asked the team to just focus on one thing. Not redemption. Not revenge.

“Her one word was `belief.’ Each and every one of us, non-starters, starters, we all have to believe in the plan. I think this game we really took that to heart. That’s what won us this game,” senior forward Kayla Darden said. “We knew we had to dig deep and just come out and needed to make it through 90 minutes. We won this game with heart. I’m so happy because I’m a fifth-year senior and this is not going to be my last game. I’m happy that I get to go on to the next round.”

The Knights advanced to the after pushing past Georgia, 2-1, in front of a lively home crowd.They will meet Wisconsin at 4:30 p.m. in Tallahassee, Fla., on Friday.

After taking a 1-0 lead, 麻豆原创 survived a rally from the Bulldogs, who netted an equalizer in the second half. Junior forward Ashley Spivey made sure the Knights would not bow out of the Big Dance early by recording her fourth game-winner of the year in the 69th minute.

麻豆原创 dominated possession and had a series of several near goals in the first half, mostly from Tatiana Coleman and Darden. It was clear to see that it was not a matter of if, but when the Knights would break through.

They made it happen in the 30th minute when Coleman’s long ball first hit Spivey’s head on the way to Darden as she streaked down the left side. She buried it to the back, right corner for her fifth goal of the season.

Georgia got the equalizer off Andie Fontanetta’s long shot that she cleaned up from Shayna Raekelboom in the 51st minute.

麻豆原创 patiently, but persistently looked to regain its edge. They found their opportunity in the 69th minute when freshman Hannah DeBose dribbled the ball to the end line and sent a cross into the box for Spivey.

The Knights improved to 12-5-1 all-time in the first round and delivered Roberts Sahaydak’s first NCAA Tournament win as a head coach.

“I’m overwhelmed. I’m proud of this team. They came out on fire. They were ready to do the work today,” Roberts Sahaydak said. “It was unfortunate to get scored on but their resilience and work ethic to come back and to win it, I’m just on cloud nine. But we still have a ways to go. That’s one. We have to refocus, but we’ll definitely enjoy this first win.”

For the second year in a row, Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak was named the American’s Coach of the Year. Senior Tatiana Coleman shared Offensive Player of the Year honors with UConn’s Rachel Hill; junior Connie Organ was named Goalkeeper of the Year; and senior Carleigh Williams was lauded as the Defensive Player of the Year.

In addition, the Knights earned a league best eight all-conference team nods. Coleman, Organ and Williams were first-team selections; Ashley Spivey, Jennifer Martin, and Sophie Howard were second-team honorees; and Saga Fredriksson and Hannah DeBose were named to the all-rookie team.

In her second season at the helm of 麻豆原创’s program, Roberts Sahaydak guided the Knights to another regular season conference championship. 麻豆原创, currently ranked No. 19 in the nation, stands among the top 10 in the country for W-L-T percentage (.842) this year. During the non-conference season, she guided 麻豆原创 to wins over programs from the Pac-12, ACC, Big 12 and SEC.

Coleman currently sits atop the conference standings for points (33) along with Hill. Earlier this season, she posted a nine-match point scoring streak, tying the school record set in 1995. Her five-game winners this season rank among 麻豆原创’s all-time single-season leaders.

Organ owns 12 shutouts this season, good enough for second on 麻豆原创’s all-time single-season list. The three-time AAC Goalkeeper of the Week currently ranks sixth in the country for her goals-against average (.423).

Williams earned Defensive Player of the Year roughly one year after suffering a season-ending ACL injury prior to the 2013 AAC Championship. As centerback, she has led her team to 13 shutouts in its 16 wins. Moreover, the Knights have outscored their opponents 27-1 at the 麻豆原创 Soccer Complex this year.

Spivey (second team) made an immediate impact for the Knights after transferring from Maryland in July. She is the team’s second-leading scorer with eight goals, including the game-winner in 麻豆原创’s quarterfinal victory over SMU.

Martin was named to the second team for the second year in a row. She stands as 麻豆原创’s third-leading scorer with five goals (three game-winners) and eight assists for 18 points.

Howard was praised for her efforts in the back alongside Williams at centerback. She leads the team in minutes this year and has helped guide the Knights to one of the nation’s best shutout percentages. The German has started in all but one of every match of her three-year career.

As for 麻豆原创’s freshmen, Fredriksson has started in 11 of 14 matches as right back for one of the nation’s stingiest defensive units. DeBose, a forward, has started in nine of 麻豆原创’s 19 matches this year and has tallied five assists.

麻豆原创 meets UConn at 5 p.m. Friday in Tampa at USF’s Corbett Stadium. The winner of Friday’s semifinal will meet either East Carolina or USF in Sunday’s championship at 11 a.m. on ESPNU The victor of the American Championship will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The selection show will air at 4:30 p.m. on ncaa.com on Nov. 10.

The Knights have earned 18 berths to the Big Dance, including an active streak of seven-consecutive appearances.

The Knights’ 2-0 win over Cincinnati in the regular season finale cemented a perfect 9-0 record at the 麻豆原创 Soccer Complex this season. Moreover, 麻豆原创 (15-3-0, 8-1-0 AAC) has successfully defended its home turf in 16-straight conference matches since Oct. 7, 2012.

“In preseason we talk about all of our goals for the season. One is to always be undefeated at home. We didn’t quite get that last year, so the fact that we were able to accomplish that this year with this team is a big step mentality wise,” 麻豆原创 head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak said.

麻豆原创 senior forward Tatiana Coleman stole the show, accounting for both goals in 麻豆原创’s 12th shutout. She wrapped up senior weekend with three goals and an assist.

“She can get the job done by scoring goals and creating chances for the team,” Roberts Sahaydak said. “I love that she’s an emotional leader for our team and just a leader by example.”

The Knights got after it early when defender Caroline Bado booted an attempt from outside the box that was saved by Cincy keeper Kristina Utley. Coleman nearly scored in the 6th minute when her screamer hit the crossbar.

麻豆原创 broke through in the 30th minute on a set piece after Coleman drew a foul just past the Bearcats bench. Carlin Huegli’s free kick into the box first connected with Fish’s header and then found Coleman in front of the net, where she finished it off for her fifth game-winner of the year.

She waited until the 75th minute to find the back of the net again off a give-and-go exchange with junior midfielder Amanda Wilkin. She kicked it low to the far, left post past the keeper for the 2-0 win.

In 麻豆原创’s nine home matches, the Black and Gold (and sometimes Pink) outscored their opponents, 23-1, in nearly 820 minutes of playing time.

“You have a few shutouts and then it keeps rolling. That’s part of us. We talk about shutout mentality,” Roberts Sahaydak said. “Connie (Organ) holding it down for us in the back, and then a really strong back four… just really solid performances by them all year long.”

As the top seed in the American Athletic Conference Championship, 麻豆原创 will host the first round and quarterfinal matches next weekend. The winner of the neutral-site contest between the No. 8 and 9 seeds at 4 p.m. on Oct. 31 will move on to face the Knights at 1 p.m. on Nov. 2.

Senior Alex Piercy played a part in both goals, scoring the first and assisting the second to extend the Knights’ win streak to 10-consecutive matches – the program’s longest such streak since 2009.

Piercy put her team on the board just before the eighth minute with her second game-winner of the season. A corner kick from senior Jennifer Martin got to junior Ashley Spivey first, and she managed to forward it on to Piercy, whose header bounced in past keeper Shauni Kerkhoff.

“It felt great. I’m not the tallest of the bunch but whenever I can get my head in front of the goal, I just focus on that,” Piercy said.

Martin nearly scored herself in the 22nd minute when her strike was tipped over the crossbar.

The Knights (13-2-0, 6-0-0 got one more in just before halftime, again off a corner. Piercy’s kick connected with freshman Bridget Callahan’s head for her third goal of the year as time was winding down.

“It was the last 30 seconds and I was just worried about getting the ball in the box. I was looking for our runners’ heads and just getting it somewhere in front of the six,” Piercy said. “Bridget made a great run in the box and got her head on it.”

Sophomore Karoline Heinze nearly added another when her shot ricocheted off a Temple defender and hit the crossbar.

But 麻豆原创’s two goals proved to be enough to clinch the win and the team’s 10th shutout of the season as well as its fourth in a row. For the fifth time this season, the Knights successfully held an opponent to zero shots on goal.

“Temple is a good team and they like to have a lot of numbers behind the ball. It could get frustrating, so I’m glad we were able to put one away early,” 麻豆原创 head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak said. “It kind of takes the pressure off, and then we felt like we could play the way we wanted to play, which I thought we did and we continued to play well throughout the game.”

麻豆原创 continues its road trip to UConn on Sunday at noon. The Huskies were picked second in the American Athletic Conference preseason poll behind the Knights.

“We have a lot of respect for UConn. They have a great team and Rachel Hill is a special player. Played for our U.S. U20 team. She has a lot of experience,” Roberts Sahaydak said. “Defensively, we’re going to have to be really sharp and have really good cover on Sunday, but I also want us to focus on our style and be able to attack with numbers.”

麻豆原创 (11-2-0, 4-0-0 AAC) bumped up four spots from last week’s ranking as the team extended its win streak to eight-consecutive matches. As the only remaining unbeaten team, the Knights are in control of their destiny in their quest to defend their regular season championship.

麻豆原创, which has been ranked or receiving votes in every NSCAA poll since Dec. 6, 2011, is the only American Athletic Conference program recognized among the Top 25. The Knights are ranked second – only to DePaul – in the NSCAA’s Northeast Region Top 10.

Defending NCAA champion UCLA is the NSCAA’s top-ranked team followed by Florida State, Stanford, Virginia and Florida among the top five.

In Monday’s RPI ratings, 麻豆原创 maintained its standing among the top 25 for the third-straight week and currently sits at No. 21. The RPI standings rank more than 330 teams based upon their wins, losses and strength of schedule.

The Knights stand as the top-rated program outside of a “power” conference in the RPI and are ahead of a combined 44 teams from the SEC, ACC, Pac-12, Big Ten and Big 12.

麻豆原创 also climbed in Soccer America’s poll to No. 17 and TopDrawerSoccer.com’s national rankings to No. 19. A day after Connie Organ was named the American’s Goalkeeper of the Week, Top Drawer named her an honorable mention for its Team of the Week.

麻豆原创 Among NCAA Stat Leaders

Category Rank (Stat)

The victory marked the Knights’ 22nd-straight match (including conference tournaments) dating back to Oct. 14, 2012. As a result, 麻豆原创 worked its way into the as the 18th program in Division I history to achieve such a milestone.

“As the game went on we did gain more confidence. Great performances off the bench. It’s great having a deep team where we can rely on everybody,” 麻豆原创 head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak said. “Great performance, overall. We’re happy with the result, and we did grow as the game went on.”

麻豆原创 (9-2-0, 2-0 AAC) struck quickly when senior forward Tatiana Coleman dribbled down the right sideline and crossed a perfectly placed ball to a rushing Ashley Spivey, who buried it past Tulsa keeper Courtney McKeon.

Freshman forward Christina Holmes responded for Tulsa (7-4-1, 1-1-0 AAC) in the 31st minute. Despite pressure, Holmes was able to maintain control and slipped it by goalkeeper Connie Organ, who had come out to meet her.

The Knights didn’t stay behind for long. Less than two minutes later, Spivey got into the mix again when her shot was deflected, allowing senior midfielder Jennifer Martin to pick up the rebound by the left post and reclaim a 2-1 lead for 麻豆原创.

Senior Kayla Darden added to 麻豆原创’s edge just before halftime when she broke down the Hurricane defense and connected with the back of the net from 18 yards out for her first goal of the season.

Darden wasn’t finished, yet. She netted her second of the match in the 59th minute after junior midfielder Amanda Wilkin forwarded a ball to Coleman on the right side. Coleman sent it through to Darden in the box, and she bounced it off of the top of the crossbar into the back of the net.

“Darden has had a good season. She’s been in and out of the starting lineup. She came off the bench and provided a lot of energy, some toughness,” Roberts Sahaydak said. “Her first goal came off of her really battling with the outside back and defending well and created a chance for herself. We love to rely on her athleticism.”