SAN ANTONIO — Scoreless through the first 80 minutes, UTSA soccer surrendered the go-ahead goal late and fell 1-0 to No. 9 Texas Christian University on Sunday at Park West Athletics Complex.
Taking on their second Big 12 opponent of the week, the Roadrunners (0-1-1), once again found themselves tied at 0-0 for the majority of the match. The Horned Frogs (2-0) broke through in the 80th minute after forward Cameron Patton drilled the ball into the top right corner of the net, just over the head of junior goalkeeper Jasmine Kessler. The ‘Runners failed to muster up any late-game magic and remained winless through their first week of play.
“We’re not happy with the result,” Coach Derek Pittman said after the game. “I want it to piss them off. I want it to fuel a fire in them that makes us want more. Now it’s a matter of getting ourselves rested and healthy. We’re excited to host St. Mary’s on Thursday. We’ll watch the film and get ready to go. Our players are hungrier than ever.”
Pittman knew it would be a tall task to escape with a win over TCU when he crafted his team’s schedule in the months prior to this matchup, yet it was a challenge he felt his team needed to face to prepare themselves for the season ahead.
“I have a feeling we played the hardest opening weekend schedule out of anyone in our conference,” Pittman explained. “For us to line ourselves up against two [Power Four] teams that are really difficult — two different types of teams — we adapted really well. We scheduled this game because, when we make the NCAA tournament — and that’s our goal each and every year — we’re going to have to play a school like this in the first round. I wanted our players to experience that tonight to know that they can stand tall, be proud of themselves and put in a really tough effort.”
The lone goal of the night began as Horned Frogs forward Grace Vest drove the ball deep into the left side of the Roadrunners penalty area. Vest found Patton on the opposite side of the pitch, and Patton connected with the net inches over Kessler’s hands as she attempted a diving block. Kessler, whose seven saves helped UTSA to a draw against Houston on Wednesday, faltered for the first time in the young season, and the Roadrunners could not recover.
TCU outshot the Roadrunners 13 to five, with a five to four advantage in shots on goal. Both goalkeepers registered four saves; UTSA picked up a whopping 16 fouls.
The Roadrunners will next face St. Mary’s University at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Park West Athletics Complex.
