SAN ANTONIO – Coming off a decisive victory over Central Arkansas in the season opener, UTSA soccer (1-0) returns to the Park West Athletics Complex for their second outing of the week, hosting McNeese (0-1) on Sunday at 1 p.m. This non-conference match of former Southland Conference foes will be streamed via GoUTSA.com.
On Thursday, the Roadrunners muscled their way through the Central Arkansas lineup, securing a 5-1 victory and holding a 21-1 shot differential – the lone shot a successful penalty kick by the Bears. It was a very physical effort for the home squad and the fans showed out, drawing a facility-record 1,397 fans to Park West – also marking the highest attendance in Derek Pittman's six seasons at the helm.
Starting on the Front Foot
The Roadrunners saw five different scorers in Thursday's match, as well as five players logging assists – thanks to some well-angled multi-assist passing. The first two goals came off corner kick set pieces and both were slammed home by UTSA defenders. Senior Deja Sandoval got things started in the ninth minute, and senior Sasjah Dade followed with high-velocity header off the corner kick. Junior midfielder Jordyn Hyland provided an assist for both, while junior defender Sabrina Hillyer set the stage for her cross to Sandoval. Seconds to go in the first half, junior midfielder Zoë Lam was in perfect position off the deflection to put a shot back on goal for the 3-0 lead at half. Freshman Brittany Holden and senior Alex Granville prepped an Alissa Stewart goal and senior midfielder Sarina Russ turned a tackle the other direction, passing ahead for a Jordan Walker score.
Dade was one of three Roadrunners recognized on the American Athletic Conference Preseason Watch List after finishing 2022 as an All-Conference USA third-team honoree. She recorded 13 points off five goals and three assists on a .429 shot on goal percentage – putting away three game-winners. Joining her on the preseason AAC Watch List, Stewart added 10 points on five goals a year ago in 22 starts, and junior goalkeeper Mia Krusinski was a key component of a very stout UTSA defensive lineup. Krusinski was an All-Conference USA Tournament Team honoree after grabbing 10 saves in three games to help UTSA to the conference tournament title. Krusinski went 8-3-1 record with four shutouts in 11 starts (14 games), recording a .771 save percentage with a team-best 37 saves.
The Roadrunners are coming off one of the best seasons in program history, logging a 12-6-3 overall record with a whopping 7-1-1 (83.3 percent) mark at home. UTSA closed out the year in historic fashion, sweeping through three games at the Conference USA Tournament, defeating Florida Atlantic in overtime, 3-2, for their first conference tournament title since 2010 – earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament, where they battled fifth-seeded TCU to a 3-1 loss in Fort Worth.
The 2023 squad returns 16 from last year's team, including five starters and seven seniors. Though the Roadrunners had to replace 15 players, the latest crop of recruits have already earned opportunities for significant potential impact in the lineup, including Haley Lopez and Sophie Morrin, who both got the start and played over 60 minutes against the Bears.
Leading the Roadrunners, Pittman has a UTSA record of 40-35-12 (.529), 91-102-30 (.475) overall across stints at three institutions.
Series history
With the Cowgirls and Roadrunners meeting for the 10th time, the series is evenly split – breaking 4-4-1. UTSA is 4-1 in San Antonio, 0-2-1 on the road in Lake Charles, La. and 0-1 on neutral turf. The Roadrunners are 3-0-1 over the last four meetings, most recently in 2014. The bulk of the series was played when UTSA was still a member of the Southland Conference – still the current conference for McNeese.
Scouting the Cowgirls
McNeese kicked off their season in the Lone Star State on Thursday, taking on Texas State in San Marcos, but ultimately suffering a 3-1 defeat after the Bobcats rallied from a 1-0 halftime deficit and scored three late goals in just over three minutes starting in the 73rd minute. Senior forward Rachel Young collected the initial goal for McNeese. She is one of three returning top scorers after scoring five goals with two assists last season. Also in that trio are senior Magalie Depot (4 G, 4 Ast) and sophomore Salma Elhaimer (4 G, 2 Ast). Senior forward Kiana Kukaua joined Young and Depot on the All-Southland Conference second team last year.
Previously an All-Southland first team honoree (2021), junior goalkeeper Jackie Kelly entered the year with 93 career saves and added four more on Thursday. She has five shutouts in her two seasons with the Cowgirls.
The Bobcats held McNeese to just two shots and racked up 19 of their own, helped along by holding a 7-0 advantage on corner kicks.
The Cowgirls are coached by Drew Fitzgerald in his eighth season. He's coached the squad to four winning seasons and has a 66-53-11 (.550) record as a head coach – all at McNeese.
Texas Ties
No surprise that the Cowgirls roster features a number of players out of Texas, given that Lake Charles is about 175 miles from the eastern Texas border. UTSA has 14 in-state players, but McNeese tallies nine on their 29-count roster.
UP NEXT: UTSA hits the road for the first time in the 2023 season, heading to Manhattan, Kansas for a rematch from last season, when the Roadrunners defeated the Wildcats 2-1 at Park West last August. That game is set for a 7 p.m. at Buser Family Park and will air live on Big 12 Now.
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