SAN ANTONIO — The UTSA women's soccer team will begin the quest to its first-ever NCAA Tournament this weekend when it opens Southland Conference Tournament play against Lamar. Kickoff in the tournament opener is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Thursday in San Marcos.
The Roadrunners (11-7-1, 6-2-1 SLC) enter the postseason event as the No. 3 seed after tying the school record with six conference wins this fall. A half dozen players were named to the All-Southland teams on Tuesday, headlined by freshman Anka Grotle's selection to the first team. Seniors Allison Dillon and Chelsea Zimmerman and freshman Maria Jose Rojas were named to the second team, while senior Laurel Dierking and sophomore Dacia Webb were honorable mention picks.
UTSA, which has established a program mark for overall victories this season, continues to lead the conference in five offensive categories including points (126), goals (41), goals per game (2.16), assists (44) and assists per game (2.32). Defensively, the Birds have shut out eight opponents, one shy of the school record, and five of those came in conference play.
Sixth-seeded Lamar (5-10-3, 3-4-2 SLC) saw four players — Grace Bowman, Jennifer Gibbs, Lisa Hance and Beth Squires — named to the league's honorable mention squad. Hance leads the Lady Cardinals with 11 points on five goals and one assist this fall.
UTSA defeated Lamar 1-0 in double overtime on Oct. 17 in Beaumont and is a perfect 4-0 all-time against the Lady Cardinals.
The winner of Thursday's match will play No. 2 seed Stephen F. Austin (13-5-1) in Friday's first semifinal, which is slated to start at 4:30 p.m.
Match #20 | ||
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