SAN ANTONIO – Rising above a slow first half, the UTSA soccer team (6-2-4, 2-0-2 AMER) rallied after halftime and put away a late putback goal to force a 1-1 draw with visiting Charlotte (5-4-1, 1-1-1 AMER) on Sunday at the Park West Athletics Complex. Though UTSA trailed for over 60 minutes, senior Zoё May delivered in the crucial waning moments, knotting the score in the final two minutes with a heads-up, second-chance score. The Roadrunners finish the month of September without a loss for the first time in the program’s 20-season history – going 4-0-2 in that span.
The Roadrunner offense didn’t get off to its typical fast start, and the 49ers were able to make their way deep into UTSA territory on numerous early drives, ringing up eight shots with six on-target attempts in the opening period – while holding UTSA to four attempts with just a single on-goal chance and no corners.
In that opening stanza, the 49ers strung together back-to-back upfield runs that gave Charlotte the upper hand early. After Megan Bradley was initially rejected on a shot from the left, Grace Keighley intercepted the ensuing goal kick and pushed it ahead to Bradley, who slipped the go-ahead goal past Jasmine Kessler in the 29th-minute amidst heavy traffic.
Coming out of the locker room facing a 1-0 deficit, the Roadrunners emerged with an entirely different energy on both ends of the field, racking up five chances in the next 10 minutes of action to ramp up the pressure on Charlotte goalkeeper Harlee Head.
As time ticked away for the Roadrunners, two crucial 49er fouls put things in motion for UTSA, as Keighley fouled Addi O’Kelley from behind on an aerial duel, providing Kessler with a midfield free kick. Kessler dropped the ball right in front of the six-yard box and in the scrum Keighley tangled up O’Kelley’s legs for the penalty with 88:54 on the clock. After a yellow card was issued to the Charlotte bench and officials went to the VAR, May was rejected going left on the penalty kick, but drove in on the save to fire the rebound into the right side of the net for the equalizer.
It's the third game in the past four outings that UTSA has scored off a goalkeeper deflection, and the second time doing so for May.
The 49ers got one more chance at the win with a midfield free kick in the final 20 seconds, but Reese Black sailed her final attempt, sounding the horn in a 1-1 draw – the first on the year for Charlotte and the second this week for UTSA.
After the quiet start, UTSA finished with a 16-12 shot advantage, outshooting the 49ers 12-4 in the second half. UTSA finished with six on-target takes. Kessler wrapped the day with six saves for her second-highest count of the year.
Elsewhere in the league, 11th-ranked Memphis defeated Rice 2-0, moving the Tigers to the top of the American Conference standings. With the league point from the draw, UTSA comes out of Sunday’s action alone at second in the league standings. UTSA’s next opponent, Rice, is tied for third.
Goals
CLT: Megan Bradley (29’)
UTSA: Zoё May (89’)
Quoting Coach Derek Pittman
“We came out a bit flat-footed in the opening half and dug ourselves a hole. To concede the way that we did against Charlotte, despite the fantastic finish, it was created by errors on our part. I challenged them at halftime that we needed to respond, and I thought our players did exactly that. We played with the proper UTSA DNA energy, toughness and a level of quality that we understand and expect. I’m really just happy with the character they showed to grind it out, even in the last minute, to earn the penalty and ultimately the equalizing goal – which will prove to be huge for us as we move forward.”
UP NEXT: It’s a huge matchup on the road for UTSA next Thursday in Houston, as the American’s second-ranked Roadrunners travel to the league’s third-ranked Rice at Holloway Field. Sunday will bring the Roadrunners’ third weekend BYE of the season.
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