UTSA soccer defeated the University of Incarnate Word 3-0 on Sunday during its first exhibition match at the Park West Athletics Complex.
The game was nothing short of an aggressive wrestling match for both teams. Each side fought by getting in each other’s way, pushing and shoving, in attempts to control the ball. Despite having 14 new transfers, the Roadrunners came out and played as a united front and fought hard defensively to take and stay in the lead.
A set piece executed by junior forward Izzy Lane, junior centerback Kameron Kloza and freshman forward Addy Johnson ended up being the final point of the game. Lane put the ball into play from the corner and was quickly grabbed by Kloza as she attempted to headbutt the ball in.
UTSA was notably more fatigued during the third period of the game and UIW tried to take advantage of that with most of their shot attempts coming during this time. However, the Roadrunners defense stepped up to block their attempts, adopting an aggressive plan that caused both teams to go back-and-forth over possession. The Cardinals were quick to take the ball from the ‘Runners any chance they got in a desperate attempt to score a goal, but goalkeeper Jasmine Kessler was quicker, putting a stop to their efforts.
Johnson quickly took the spotlight and set the tone for UTSA in the first few minutes of the game as she scored the first goal on a confused Robberts. The ball was thrown into play and was quickly snagged by the ‘Runners as Robberts blocked the first shot attempt. Johnson, amidst the chaos in front of the goal, managed to grab the ball and score on the unsuspecting goalkeeper.
Incarnate Word came out firing on all cylinders at the start of the second period as they remained in control throughout the beginning of it, capitalizing on passing errors made by the Roadrunners. The ‘Runners cleaned up on their passing errors to regain possession of the ball through the rest of the period in addition to their defense taking the lead for the tired team.
The Roadrunners picked up five fouls in the first period to the Cardinals one and totaled 13 by the end of the match.
The Roadrunners next exhibition game will be against the University of Houston at 2 p.m. Mar. 23 at the Park West Athletics Complex.
