? Pre-match notes (.pdf)
UTSA at No. 6/7 Texas
Friday, Sept. 14 ? 7 p.m. ? Myers Stadium
Kick Off: The UTSA soccer team is coming off heartbreaking defeat at TCU and look to rebound this Friday night at No. 6/7 Texas in Austin.
Series Meeting: This will be the first meeting between the squads. Last season UTSA and Texas met in an exhibition match on Aug. 18 in Austin with the Longhorns edging the Roadrunners, 3-0.
Scouting Texas: Texas is coming a 1-1 record last weekend. UT collected its third win of the season with a 1-0 win at Arizona State on Sept. 7. Then fell 2-0 at Arizona on Sept. 9. The Longhorns are currently ranked sixth in the nation according to the soccerbuzz.com poll and seventh in the NSCAA/Adidas poll.
Runners on the web: Fans can follow the Roadrunners home matches on the web this season through live stats. Also, Friday’s match will be on the Web, as Texas will provide live stats and video streaming at www.texassports.com.
TCU scores late for the 1-0 win: Jackie Torda scored the game winning goal with less than five minutes remaining in the match for the Horned Frogs. However, UTSA had a couple of opportunities late in the match to tie, but sophomore Veronica Najera’s attempt was high at the 87-minute mark, then sophomore Kimmy Selman’s shot went wide as the game clock expired.
Hebert makes most of first start: Sophomore Kasi Hebert made her first career start in the net for UTSA at TCU. The Spring native made the most it with a career-high 10 saves against the Horned Frogs.
Collecting mileage: Head coach Steve Ballard’s squad opened the 2007 season playing its first five of six matches on the road, including a four-match road swing in the span of one week. The Roadrunners have posted a 1-3 mark away from San Antonio.
Morel’s two goals to give UTSA first win: Freshman Kat Morel netted a career-high two goals, as the UTSA soccer team collected its first win of the season with a 7-0 victory at Texas Southern on Sept. 7. The Irving native also collected one assist and totaled a career-best four shots.
Offensive explosion: UTSA matched its career-high with seven goals in a game at Texas Southern. Last year, the Roadrunners accomplished this twice. The first one came against Prairie View A&M on Aug. 30 and then repeated it against Texas Southern on Sept. 10.
Tech scores four goals in second half: Texas Tech used a second half surge for the 4-1 win against UTSA on Sept. 9 in Lubbock. The Red Raiders held a 35-6 shot advantage, including a 15-5 in the second frame.
Scoring machine: Sophomore Ezinne Okpo posted one goal last season for the Roadrunners. The Denton native has surpassed last year’s total already with three goals in the first five matches of the 2007 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 Sept. 4.
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.
Head Coach Steve Ballard: Steve Ballard is in 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 135-78-16 record in 11 plus years as head coach.
What’s next: The Roadrunners return to action next weekend with a two-match home stand against Delaware on Sept. 21 and Iona on Sept. 23 at the UTSA Recreational Sports Complex.
