? Pre-match notes (.pdf)
SAN ANOTNIO ? UTSA soccer looks for its first win of the season this weekend when they travel to Texas Southern on Friday, Sept. 7, in Houston and to Texas Tech on Sunday, Sept. 9, in Lubbock.
Series meeting: The Roadrunners lead the all-time series 1-0 against the Lady Tigers. A year ago, UTSA defeated TSU, 7-0, on Sept. 9 in San Antonio. Texas Tech leads the series 1-0 against UTSA. The Red Raiders collected a 2-0 win against the Roadrunners on Aug. 25, 2006 (first ever match).
Scouting Texas Southern and Texas Tech: TSU dropped its 2007 season opener against Houston Baptist by a score of 11-0 on Sept. 5.
Texas Tech collected its first win on the season against Texas State, 3-0, on Sept. 5 in San Marcos. The Red Raiders opened their year on the road at the Georgia Nike Invitational in Athens, Ga., last weekend. TTU went winless, falling 4-1 to host Georgia on Aug. 31 and 1-0 to Vanderbilt on Sept. 2.
Weather forces draw: Due to rain heavy and lightning, the match between UTSA and Baylor was called with the score tied 2-2 with 89:40 remaining on Tuesday night at the UTSA Recreational Sports Complex. Sophomore Chelsea Zimmerman posted a match-high two assists, while sophomore Veronica Najera and freshman Alli Dillon recorded their first goals of the season.
Freshman impact: Freshmen Jenna Pawelek and Alli Dillon have seen significant action in their first two matches. Pawelek has made two starts as a defender. Meanwhile, Dillon has come of the bench for UTSA. The Yorba Linda, Calif., native collected her first collegiate goal against Baylor on Tuesday.
SMU edges UTSA, 2-1: After a scoreless first half, both teams combined for three goals in the second half. The Mustangs jumped on the board first when senior Kimber Bailey netted her first goal of the season with 51:10 left in the second frame. Senior Allison Brill’s first winner on the year gave SMU a 2-0 edge at the 64-minute mark. UTSA cut the deficit to 2-1 when sophomore Ezinne Okpo netted her first goal of the season with 66:38 remaining in the match. With less than two minutes remaining, sophomore Veronica Najera had a chance to tie the game, but her shot hit the crossbar and SMU held on for the win.
Preseason honors: UTSA was picked to finish second and third, respectively, in this year’s Southland Conference Preseason SIDs and coaches poll. UTSA also garnered four SLC preseason all-conference honors, led by sophomores Chelsea Zimmerman, Ezinne Okpo and Chea Pajak (first team), while sophomore Veronica Najera collected All-SLC second-team honors.
2006 recap: In its inaugural season, UTSA ended the year with an 8-9-2 overall and 5-1-2 in SLC record, finishing one point behind Southeastern Louisiana for the regular season title. The Roadrunners entered postseason play as the No. 2 seed of the 2006 SLC Soccer Tournament. Chelsea Zimmerman collected SLC Freshman of the Year and All-SLC first-team accolades, while Ezinne Okpo earned All-SLC second-team honors and Najera and sophomore Kari Weiland were selected All-SLC honorable mention selection.
Head Coach Steve Ballard: Steve Ballard begins his second season as UTSA head soccer coach. During his first year, he guided a young Roadrunners squad that featured 24 freshmen, including nine in the starting lineup, to an 8-9-2 overall record and a second-place finish in the Southland Conference standings with a 5-1-2 mark. Ballard led his team to its first SLC Tournament appearance as the No. 2 seed. In his first season with the Roadrunners, four players earned all-conference honors, highlighted by SLC Freshman of the Year Chelsea Zimmerman. Overall, Ballard has compile a 134-76-16 record in 11-plus years as head coach.
What’s next: UTSA continues its road swing with a pair of matches at TCU on Sept. 11 and at Texas on Sept. 14.
