SAN ANTONIO — Senior forward Izzy Lane connected with the net in the 82nd minute, helping UTSA soccer to a 1-0 victory over the University of North Texas on Thursday at Park West Athletics Complex.
The Roadrunners (6-2-2, 2-0 AC) utilized manufactured passing lanes in order to maintain possession of the ball in order to keep the Mean Green (4-6-1, 1-0 AC) at arms length. Both teams put up impressive performances by staying connected with passes amongst each other working across the field during the whole game.
“Every game against North Texas is etched in my brain only because I just know that they’re always super intense, and our players are always up for it,” Pittman said. “I thought we were the better team. I thought we managed the game exceptionally well.”
Lane attempted other shots on goal throughout the game, all of which missed their mark. Brooklyn Bailey, Emelie Ekman, Leah Varela and Kameron Kloza have recorded shot attempts, taking advantage to make a goal when opportunities struck. In the end, it was Lane who made the successful goal during the second half.
The Roadrunners continued to maintain their defensive reputation by stymieing North Texas’ offensive efforts consistently, only allowing one attempted shot on goal throughout the entirety of the match.
Lane emphasized how throughout the game, the team maintained high spirits, especially when the opponents were neck-and-neck. The Mean Green had two shot opportunities but ended up missing both.
“I think we’ve got good chemistry this year, and we just fight until the very end. Especially after they scored, the tempo didn’t go down,” Lane said of the first half. “If anything goes up, we’ll just keep fighting.”
Lane noted that the team was aware of the holes in the Mean Green’s defense, specifically at goalie. During the game the Mean Green’s goalkeeper, Alina Arneth, caught the ball with near misses numerous times.
“We didn’t think she was very strong in the air. So we already knew that we needed to just get in and shoot. Generally, we don’t take the extra shots, and now we just are trying to get it off our feet a lot quicker and just get it in the net,” Lane said.
UTSA will face the University of Alabama at Birmingham next at 7 p.m. Thursday at PNC Field.
