FORT WORTH, Texas – The UTSA soccer team is set to make its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 12 years, facing No. 5 seed TCU on Friday night. The match is set to kick off on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. (CT) from Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium.
The Roadrunners last earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament in 2010, after winning the Southland Conference Tournament. The 2010 squad faced No. 2 seed Portland, falling to the Pilots by a final score of 9-0.
The Roadrunners earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament after winning the Conference USA Championship. UTSA won its first C-USA Championship in its final year in the conference; The school joined the conference in 2013 and are set to join the American Athletic Conference next year. The Roadrunners earned the No. 6 seed and took the "underdog" title as an added incentive as they battled with the best teams in the conference to win it all. UTSA started the tournament with a 1-0 quarterfinal win over No. 3 seed UAB in two overtime periods. The squad then faced off with No. 2 seed North Texas, fighting through to take the 2-1 victory in the semifinal round. UTSA completed its Cinderella story in a championship matchup with No. 5 seed Florida Atlantic, securing a 3-2 win over the Owls after two overtime periods.
Four Roadrunners earned tournament awards. Kendall Kloza was named the Defensive MVP. Anna Sutter was named the Offensive MVP. Marlee Fray and Mia Krusinski were named to the All-Tournament Team.
The Roadrunners ended the regular season in sixth place, their highest conference finish. The Roadrunners tied their program record for most wins in conference play (tied with the 2019 season) and most points in C-USA play (15).
A program-high four Roadrunners were named the All-Conference USA Teams. Sophomore Sutter earned First Team honors, the first UTSA student-athlete to earn first team since joining the conference in 2013. Kiran Singh and Kloza both earned Second Team, Singh's first postseason award and Kloza's second consecutive award. Sasjah Dade was named to the Third Team, also earning her first career postseason honor.
Aside from athletic achievements, UTSA has been succeeding in the classroom as well, earning a program-high three Roadrunners on the C-USA All-Academic Team. Alissa Stewart was named to the First Team, while Jil Schneider and Sutter earned Second Team honors.
Second Team honoree Singh leads the Roadrunners with 44 shots (17 on goal) and 20 points (seven goals and six assists). First Team honoree Sutter is right behind her with 15 points, consisting of five goals (three game winners) and five assists. Marlee Fray has the third-most points on the team with 13 points – five goals and three assists. Third Team defender Dade has contributed greatly on offense with 11 points this season, including three clutch game-winning goals. Goalkeepers Schneider and Mia Krusinski have combined for 55 saves and only allowed 18 goals this season.
TCU earned the No. 5 seed in the Notre Dame quadrant of the NCAA Tournament after falling to West Virginia in the Big12 Championship. The Horned Frogs earned an at-large bid and come into the tournament with a 12-5-4 record.
10 TCU student-athletes were named to Big 12 All-Conference Teams – Gracie Brian, Messiah Bright, Chaylyn Hubbard, Laure Kellett, Camryn Lancaster, Olivia Hasler, Seven Castain, Kennedy Clountz, and Tyler Isgrig. Coppinger was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Messiah Bright leads the Horned Frogs with 25 points (11 goals and three assists), as well as 76 shots (28 on goal). Goalkeeper Lauren Kellett has notched 61 saves and allowed 15 goals in 20 games played.
In the all-time series, UTSA holds a 0-7-0 record against the TCU Horned Frogs. The teams last played each other on Aug. 20, 2017, when the Roadrunners fell to the Horned Frogs, 5-0. Then-freshman Isa Hernandez came into the match off the bench and logged 56 minutes.
UP NEXT: The winner of this match will move on in the Notre Dame quadrant of the NCAA Tournament bracket, next facing the winner of Michigan State/Milwaukee.
- UTSA -
