SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA soccer team opened up its final Conference USA schedule as the Roadrunners battled through an intense matchup but ultimately fell to Rice, 2-1, on Wednesday night at Park West Athletics Complex.
As UTSA moves to the American Athletic Conference next year, the Roadrunners opened up their final conference schedule in C-USA, facing the Rice Owls who will also be moving to the American next season. This is the 14th time the two teams have faced each other in the past 14 seasons. With the loss, the Roadrunners fall to 2-12 in the all-time series with the Owls.
Despite the match ending in a loss, UTSA played an intense and strategic game as the Roadrunners kept the Owls to only three shots through the entire match, those three shots coming in the first 10 minutes. The last 80 minutes of the match, UTSA did not allow a single shot or goal to Rice. The Roadrunners outshot the Owls with nine shots (two on goal) to three shots (all on goal). UTSA didn't have an offsides call on them, while Rice had two offsides calls.
Three Roadrunners led the team with two shots apiece – Kiran Singh, Jordyn Hyland and Sasjah Dade. Kendall Kloza and Deja Sandoval were key to keeping the Owls at bay, playing all 90 minutes of the match on defense.
Three minutes into the match, the Owls took a 1-0 lead as Delaney Schultz scored. Rice fired off one more shot, before Schultz scored once again in the 10th minute to give the Owls a 2-0 advantage. After this, the Roadrunners kicked it into high gear as the team did not allow even a single shot to the Owls through the rest of the match.
UTSA fired off three shots throughout the next 30 minutes after Rice's two goals. In the 42nd minute, Marlee Fray put the Roadrunners on the board, cutting the deficit to 2-1 going into halftime.
Although the second half didn't see a score change, it didn't lack action by any means. The Roadrunners fired off five shots in the second 45-minute period, while also being awarded four corner kick opportunities, blanking the Owls in both of those categories along the way.
In the last five minutes of the match, the Roadrunners were awarded two goal kicks, two free kicks and took seven throw ins but UTSA was unable to find the net as the Roadrunners fell, 2-1, to Rice to open conference play.
UTSA's record falls to 5-2-1 (0-1-0 in C-USA action), while Rice improves to 3-6-0 (1-0-0 in C-USA play) on the season.
GOALS
UTSA: Marlee Fray (41')
RICE: Delaney Schultz (3' & 10')
UP NEXT
The Roadrunners continue to get right into the conference schedule this Sunday, hosting Charlotte at 1 p.m. (CT) at Park West Athletics Complex.
-UTSA-
