SAN ANTONIO — UTSA will return to Park West Athletics Complex where it will host Conference USA matches against Rice and preseason league favorite North Texas this weekend. The Roadrunners will face the Owls at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 7 before a 1 p.m. tilt against the Mean Green two days later.
Friday's match will serve as the program's annual Kick Cancer Game to benefit the Alamo Breast Cancer Foundation. A silent auction will be held during the contest that features UTSA soccer memorabilia, apparel, a one-on-one skill session with a UTSA student-athlete and the chance to attend the Oct. 29 UTSA football game with head soccer coach Greg Sheen.
The Roadrunners (5-7, 1-2 C-USA) will look to bounce back after a pair of road setbacks last weekend at Old Dominion and Charlotte. Despite the defeats, UTSA remains near the top of the league in goals per game at 2.17. Senior Brianna Livecchi and freshman Jordyn Lacy have led the way with two goals apiece during C-USA action, junior Kaja Skare continues to pace the squad with six goals for the season. Senior defender Alexis Alaniz leads the team in minutes played at 1,075 and she has played every minute of the last eight matches.
Meanwhile, the Owls (5-4-1, 2-2 C-USA) split a pair of matches last weekend with a loss to WKU and a win over Southern Miss. Rice has averaged 2.0 goals per match during the season, while holding its opponents to 1.4 winners per outing. The squad is led by preseason all-conference pick Jenny Fichera, who has a team-high eight points behind two goals and four assists. Aliza Wolfe owns a squad-best three goals, while Samantha Colley has seen the majority of the playing time in goal and she owns a 1.09 goals-against average with 40 saves.
Picked to defend its C-USA crown, the Mean Green (8-3-1, 3-0 C-USA) will look to keep their perfect league record intact Friday night at UTEP before traveling to the Alamo City. Preseason all-league pick Rachel Holden leads the offense with 19 points behind eight goals and three assists, while Marchelle Davis owns five goals and three helpers. The North Texas defense is averaging 0.92 goals allowed per contest, but it has yielded at least one goal in its last seven matches. Goalie Brooke Bradley owns a 0.90 goals-against average to go along with 47 saves.
Rice leads the all-time series against UTSA, 5-1, while North Texas holds a 2-1 edge all-time against the Roadrunners.
