SAN ANTONIO — UTSA soccer alumni returned to the Park West Athletics Complex to play against the 2026 roster on Saturday for a scrimmage. Current players came into the game with ambition to show the alumni how skilled they are after winning the American Conference in November. The 2026 roster narrowly defeated the alumni 2-1.
According to coach Derek Pittman, the alumni scrimmage has become an annual tradition set to honor those who played before the current team at UTSA.
“One of the big things we talk about in our program is leaving the jersey in a better place,” Pittman emphasized. “So, regardless of what jersey number these alums wore during their time here, we talk about all the time that it is more than just themselves. It’s about our program, our university and it’s about our athletic department moving the needle forward in a positive direction.”
Inviting the alumni back out to play every year has become an opportunity for current players to see how far the program has come.
For Saturday’s game, the alums had something to prove to the current team, according to Pittman, but, sadly, that proof did not come in the form of a win.
Starting at 1 p.m. sharp on a blistering cold Saturday, family and friends watched a neck-and-neck game that left the alumni gasping for air against the current team’s energetic presence on the field. In the end, the current team’s two goals during the first half helped them defeat the alumni team who scored one goal during the second half.
Junior midfielder Addi O’Kelley and sophomore midfielder Bri Carrigan have played against the alumni in years before. The pair understood their team was approaching this game as a regular season game.
“We wanted to show the alumni how hard we’ve been working and how we’ve left their legacy in a better place,” O’Kelley said.
“[Coach Pittman] said let’s play like we always do and show them what we have been doing this school year,” Carrigan said.
Although the alumni lost, Saturday felt like a win as they played an intense game against their former teammates. Former UTSA midfielder Michelle Pollo and 2022 graduate defender Kendall Kloza were content playing against the 2026 roster team.
“I was just happy to be playing with people that I know and just wanted to have fun,” Pollo exclaimed. “It’s a different kind of game. You just play without any expectations.”
Kendall Kloza was excited to play against her sister, graduate defender Kameron Kloza.
“I wanted to make sure we put up a few good goals and talk some smack a little bit, but mostly just having fun,” Kendall Kloza said. “Like, we’re never supposed to win these games. It’s really just about getting back out and being with the team.”
