SAN ANTONIO – Notching the fourth consecutive season facing a Big 12 opponent, the UTSA Roadrunners (3-1) depart San Antonio for the 10th series meeting against Houston (1-2-1), facing the Cougars on Thursday at the Carl Lewis International Complex. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Houston and the contest will appear live on ESPN+.
Following the Action
Thursday’s matchup at Houston can be viewed live on ESPN+ with Garrett Jones (play-by-play), Brooke Kirchhofer (analyst) and Vicente Garcia (sideline) on the broadcast Call. Houston Athletics will also provide Live Stats.
About the Roadrunners
Led by seventh-year head coach Derek Pittman, the UTSA Roadrunners are off to a hot 3-1 start with a tough 1-0 road decision the only separation from a perfect opening record. The Roadrunners are one of four teams near the top of the American Athletic Conference standings that have captured three wins. UTSA opened 2-0 for the second consecutive year but took a setback at Texas State last Thursday. The Roadrunners followed up with a 1-0 win over San Antonio’s St. Mary’s on Sunday to secure Pittman’s 100th career win.
Three of UTSA’s four goals this season have come on set pieces, with one goal apiece for Zoë May, Kameron Kloza, Olivia Alvarez and Izzy Lane – who scored the lone goal on a full-field, seven-second scoring possession that moved a goal kick from Jasmine Kessler to Jordan Walker driving the middle and the dump-off to Lane for her first UTSA goal. Originally from London, England, Lane joined the Roadrunners at midyear as a transfer from Delaware, where she was a 2022 CAA All-Rookie Team honoree.
Overall, 23 Roadrunners have taken the field after four games, and UTSA has outshot opponents, 71-29 (2.5:1), logging 35 on-target attempts with a .493 SOG percentage. The Roadrunners have remained in the upper tier of American Athletic Conference shooting since the opening week, ranking third in both shots per game (17.75, 48th NCAA) and SOG per game (8.75, 38th NCAA), while also listing at second in the AAC (46th NCAA) in goals-against-average (0.50) with an AAC third-ranked .846 save percentage.
About Houston
Working on the third season under Jaime Frias, the Cougars are coming off an 8-8-2 finish (with a 5-5 home mark) and have opened the 2024 campaign at 1-2-1 with losses to 17th-ranked Texas and Sam Houston, logging a tie vs. Stephen F. Austin. UH notched its first win of the season on Sunday, going 1-0 past Tarleton State on the road.
The Cougars return the top two goal-scorers in junior forward Cameryn Maddox and sophomore midfielder Aryanna Jimison – Maddox notched seven goals a year ago to Jimison’s five. UH did lose the services of assists co-leader Caitlyn Matthews (5) but retained Juliet Moore (5). Despite the slow start offensively in 2024, the Cougars averaged 2.16 goals per game last year.
Helping to keep the early games in striking distance, sophomore Olivia Dietrich is back in net for UH, posting a 1.00 GAA and .800 save percentage this season. She has two shutouts to date in 2024.
Series history
The Roadrunners and Cougars meet for the 10th time on Thursday, and the third time with Pittman leading UTSA’s squad. UTSA suffered a 1-0 loss in Houston the last time out on Oct. 2, 2022, and posted a draw at Park West on Feb. 24, 2021. Houston holds a 5-3-1 advantage in the series, with UTSA’s last win coming on Aug. 23, 2009, a 2-1 win for the Roadrunners on the road in double overtime.
UP NEXT: It’s International Day on Sunday at Park West, as former Texas assistant Keeley Hagen brings her Colorado State Rams to San Antonio for the first meeting between the programs. Kickoff on Sept. 1 is set for 1 p.m. at Park West.
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