RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The UTSA soccer team (3-2) extends its westward road swing into the weekend and into California with Sunday’s non-conference matchup at Cal Baptist (3-1). The Roadrunners and Lancers meet for the second time and the first in Riverside, and are set for a 2 p.m. CDT kickoff at CBU Soccer Stadium, slated for broadcast on ESPN+.
Broadcast and Live Stats
- Sunday’s game will air at 12 p.m. PDT (2 p.m. CDT) on ESPN+ for subscribers.
- CBU live stats can be found via CBULancers.com.
Road Movement
The Roadrunners have been unstoppable at home, a perfect 3-0, but are looking for their first road victory of the early 2023 season on Sunday in Riverside. At home on the Park West Athletics Complex pitch, UTSA reeled off commanding victories over Central Arkansas (5-1) and McNeese (2-0), before returning for a crucial regional win over Texas State (1-0) in the Battle of I-35. Across the three home contests, the Roadrunners racked up an unrelenting 53-12 shot differential. On the road in two contests against tougher foes, UTSA has been pushed into a more defensive posture, being on the lower end of a 19-32 differential.
With the Wildcats fresh off a 0-0 draw against then-No. 18 Northwestern at game time and currently sitting at 2-1-2, UTSA fell to Kansas State in Manhattan on a steamy late-night 2-0 loss. On Thursday, the Roadrunners came alive in the second half against 3-1 Grand Canyon, but fell short of netting a score – further impeded by playing the final 28 minutes in a near-zero-visibility dust storm in Phoenix. Defensively, the Roadrunners had to contend with one of the nation’s top scorers, in Gianna Gourley, logging two goals in her three shots on goal to deal UTSA a 2-0 loss. Junior goalkeeper Mia Krusinski made some outstanding saves, including a penalty one-on-one with Gourley – six to be exact, but Gourley ranks NCAA fifth-ranked 1.40 goals per game, sixth-ranked 3.00 points per game and third-ranked seven total goals are hardly a fluke. On top of the weather, UTSA and GCU put in an extremely physical game that included 21 called fouls and four combined yellow cards.
Overall, Krusinski remains tied for the nation’s lead in goalkeeper minutes, putting in all 450 this season for the Roadrunners. She has 16 saves and a .762 save percentage on a 1.00 GAA. In her second season since transferring from Florida Gulf Coast, Krusinski holds an 11-5-2 record between the pipes with 53 saves, six shutouts, a 0.95 GAA and a .768 save percentage. She ties for fourth on the UTSA career victories list, fourth in career shutouts and is currently sixth on the save percentage list. One more save places her on the career saves rankings. Riding a streak of 14 consecutive starts from last season to present, Krusinski was named to the American Athletic Conference Preseason Watch List after an 8-3-2 record and four shutouts in 2022. She grabbed a career-high 11 saves in the NCAA Tournament match against TCU and recorded 10 saves in the three-game 2022 Conference USA Tournament Championship stretch, earning a spot of the All-Tournament Team last November.
Quick to Rise
Freshman Sophie Morrin is rapidly making a name for herself as an aggressive component of the UTSA offense, making the start in the first five games of her career. Back in England, she played for a variety of Premier-affiliated teams, including Manchester United Foundation RTC U16 and Liverpool FC Women U21. In addition, she represented Republic of Ireland at the 17 UEFA Euros, played for International U17 and has been a member of the Ireland International U19 roster since 2022. Through her early UTSA career, she’s the only Roadrunner with multiple goals, logging two scores and putting away both of her shots on target while hitting a .500 SOG%. She’s registered 337 minutes so far for the Roadrunners.
Sharing the Love
With 12 assists and 3.0 assists per game, the Roadrunners rank second in the American Athletic Conference in both assists per game and total assists, while ranking 40th and 27th at the national level, respectively. Leading the way, fifth-year defender Alex Granville and junior midfielder Jordyn Hyland are tied with three assists apiece, with Granville ranking second in the AAC and 55th nationally with 0.60 assists per game.
Shooting for the Lead
UTSA averages 14.40 shots per game and 6.60 shots on target per outing. Taking the lead, graduate defender Sabrina Hillyer has registered 11 shots, with five on target, a.455 SOG%, a goal and an assist. Junior forward/midfielder Jordan Walker has eight, with four on goal and a .500 SOG%, also scoring a goal. Mixing the angle of attack, 14 Roadrunners have taken an on-target shot this year.
Series history
Cal Baptist and UTSA have only met one prior time, topping CBU in San Antonio in 2021, 3-0 In their lone prior meeting, UTSA downed CBU in San Antonio in 2021, 3-0. The Roadrunners totaled six saves with all three goals delivered by players not on the 2023 squad. This meeting will mark the Roadrunners’ first trip to CBU.
Homecoming
Hailing from about 20 miles away in Ontario, Calif. and from Eleanor Roosevelt High, senior defender Sasjah Dade will be back in front of family on Sunday, playing her first career game in her home state and first game against a CA-based squad. Teamwise, it’s UTSA’s first game in the Golden State since since traveling to Utah State then San Jose State in 2012 (topping the Spartans. 2-1).
However, Dade isn’t alone in returning to her home state. Although not the Inland Empire, freshmen Makela Solbak (Mira Mesa HS) and Brittany Holden (Granite Hills HS) came to San Antonio from San Diego.
Early Season Honorees
The Roadrunners notched three players on the Preseason AAC Watch List, including Krusinski, Dade and graduate forward/midfielder Alissa Stewart. Dade was a third-team All-Conference USA honoree last season and started all 22 games as one of UTSA's key defenders. Tops among defenders and third on the team, Dade recorded five goals and three assists on the season's 21 shots (nine on target), logging a 13-point scoring total – delivering three game-winners in 2022. She has now started 52-of-55 games over the past four years and put in 4,141 minutes as a Roadrunner. Stewart scored five goals for 10 points in 22 starts last year. On her career, she's recorded 22 points in 46 games as a Roadrunner.
This season so far, Dade has one goal with five shots – three on target and Stewart has one goal and one assist on five shots with four on target.
In addition, senior defender Deja Sandoval was named the inaugural AAC Defensive Player of the Week following UTSA’s first week competing in the league – the Roadrunners allowed only a single goal and Sandoval scored the first goal of the season via a set-piece header. Hyland was also named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll.
As a team, UTSA appeared in the first weekly rankings by the United Soccer Coaches with not only its earliest appearance in a South Region poll, but also the highest ranking in program history – coming in at third in the South. In the second week of rankings, UTSA sits at No. 4 in the South after falling to K-State and SMU knocking off 25th-ranked Tennessee.
Forward From Here
Although the focus is now, it bears repeating that 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. For their success, the soccer team joined in with fellow C-USA Champions from the football team for a City of San Antonio celebratory boat parade on the River Walk.
The 2023 squad returned 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 Morrin, who both have been among the starting lineup each outing, averaging 82 minutes and 67 minutes, respectively. Grad transfer Maci Geltmeier (41 mpg) and freshmen Holden (35 mpg) and Maddie Reynolds (32 mpg) have also seen significant time off the bench.
At the helm for the Roadrunners, Derek Pittman has a UTSA record of 42-37-12 (.527) and 93-104-30 (.476) overall across stints at three institutions.
Scouting the Lancers
Sporting a 3-1 record after walloping Conference USA foe UTEP, 6-0, on Thursday, the Lancers come into Sunday’s meeting at No. 21 on the NCAA scoring offense rankings, putting up 13 total goals and 3.25 goals per outing, via 15.75 shots per game – 6.75 per game on target.
Redshirt senior midfielder Lourdes Bosch already has three goals to lead the Lancers, scoring in three of her four games this season. A second-year UNLV transfer, Bosch was an All-WAC first-teamer last season and second team All-Region – also topping the 2022 CBU squad in assists, shots, shots on goal and points. Also scoring three goals early, redshirt senior forward Marcella Brooks is already ahead of last year’s total, when she started five of 18 games. Juniors Natalia Castro and McKenna Ray tie for the assist lead with a pair apiece.
In addition to the UTEP win, the Lancers defeated UC Riverside (4-1) and NJIT (3-1), falling to Colorado State on a 25th-minute goal.
In goal for the Lancers, redshirt senior Noa Schumacher has also taken all 360 minutes to date, recording nine saves with a .750 save percentage. CBU has a commanding 63-24 advantage in scoring differential so far.
Kristen St. Clair is in her 17th season leading the Lancers, stringing together a dominant 202-79-33 (.696) record and has produced three 10-win seasons since moving to DI and joing the WAC in 2018.
UP NEXT: Roadrunner fans can catch UTSA at Park West next Thursday, hosting Texas A&M-Commerce for Military Appreciation/Camp Reunion Night. Next Sunday, UTSA will swing east to Nacogdoches for a trip to the newest member of the University of Texas System, Stephen F. Austin.
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