Roadrunners to open home slate this weekend

SAN ANTONIO — After opening the season with six consecutive outings away from the Alamo City, UTSA will kick off a five-match home stand this weekend with a pair of contests against Prairie View A&M and UTEP.

The Roadrunners and Lady Panthers will meet at 7 p.m. on Friday, while the Miners will visit the UTSA Recreational Sports Complex at 1 p.m. two days later.

UTSA (1-5) should be well rested with its last match coming on Sept. 6 when they defeated Texas Southern, 7-0. Senior Jodi Leroy and freshman Anissa Munson led a potent offensive attack against the Lady Tigers with a pair of goals each. All 23 players who suited up saw playing time and a trio of goalies — junior Dacia Webb and sophomores Danielle Snyder and Ari Calderon — combined for the shutout. Junior Amanda Ortegon, sophomore Maria Jose Rojas and freshman Liv Nyhegn also found the back of the net in the team's first win of the 2011 season.

Prairie View A&M (0-7) will be facing its third consecutive Southland Conference opponent and fifth overall when it takes the field on Friday. The Lady Panthers, who were picked to finish third in the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s Western Division, have been shut out six times this fall. JD Devany owns Prairie View A&M’s lone goal of the season, which came in a 2-1 defeat against Northwestern State.

Through seven matches, UTEP (5-2) boasts one of the best offenses in Conference USA. The Miners rank among the league’s top four in six offensive categories including shots (120), points (37) and goals (14) to go along with, statistically, the conference’s best defense that has allowed just two goals all season. Six different players have found the net for the Miners, whose only losses came on the road against a pair of Southland squads (Stephen F. Austin/Texas State).

The Roadrunners have won all three previous meetings against Prairie View A&M, including a 4-1 triumph on Aug. 22 a year ago.

Meanwhile, Sunday will mark UTSA's second all-time matchup with UTEP. The Miners handed the Roadrunners a 4-0 setback on Sept. 3, 2006, in the program’s inaugural campaign.