HOUSTON – UTSA soccer concluded their inaugural season in the American Athletic Conference topping conference opponent, the Rice Owls, 2-0 at Holloway Field.
Rice dominated in the first half. At the 26 minute mark, Rice forward Sophie Zhang shot on target but was met with a save by UTSA keeper Jasmine Kessler.
With 15 minutes left in the first half, forward Tyler Coker fought off three defenders and nearly scored but went wide left.
51 minutes into the game, defender Sasha Dade took a shot from the corner and nearly scored, but an Owls defender was able to push the ball away from the goal.
Two minutes later, midfielder Avery Chaney sent a corner kick to forward Jordan Walker. The ball was initially blocked by Rice keeper Hannah Pimentel, but Dade tapped the ball in out from under Pimentel, giving the Roadrunners a 1-0 lead over the Owls.
At the 60 minute mark, forward Alissa Stweart, whilst being guarded by three Rice defenders, passed to teammate Marlee Fray. Fray shot the ball right into Pimentel, who in an effort to save the ball, helped launch the ball through her own goal allowing UTSA to gain a 2-0 lead.
The Owls attempted to maintain possession but could not generate enough offensive strength to penetrate the brick wall that the UTSA defense was putting up.
UTSA took a total of 14 shots, 10 on goal. Ultimately 2 shots broke through the Owls defense. Kessler saved 4 shots out of 8 faced.
After being crowned C-USA champions last season, the Roadrunners seem to have struggled in their new conference. UTSA held both Memphis and South Florida, the two best teams in the AAC this season, to one goal a piece. This season’s defensive efforts was the highlight of the season.
UTSA did not make the cut to compete in the AAC Championship this season. The Roadrunners finished their season with an overall record of 7-7-4 and 2-4-3 in the AAC. UTSA finished the season scoring a total of nine goals.
Florida Atlantic and Charlotte are the only new additions in the conference to move forward and play in the AAC Championship.
Memphis and South Florida hold the top two seeds, while last year’s conference runner up SMU is at three. Number four, East Carolina returns to the tournament after losing last season to Memphis. Number six, Tulsa, returns to the tournament for the first time since 2015. Charlotte and FAU are seeded five and six respectively.
The AAC women’s soccer championship will begin at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch, Florida.
