SAN ANTONIO – On Thursday, the highest-ranked opponent in program history will travel to the Park West Athletics Complex, as UTSA soccer (7-3-5, 3-1-3 AMER) hosts fourth-ranked Memphis (13-0-2, 7-0-1 AMER) for its Pink Out for Cancer Awareness and Greek Night. With the defending American Conference Champion Tigers leading the league and the Roadrunners sitting in third, Thursday projects to be an exciting night for San Antonio Soccer fans. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
Pink Out for Cancer Awareness / Greek Night
Thursday night will officially be a Pink Out and fans are encouraged to join in the drive for Cancer Awareness by donning their favorite pink attire. UTSA Fan Engagement will have pink UTSA t-shirts on hand for fans who donate at least $5 to cancer research at the game. Fans will also be able to get free bam bams and a pink ribbon to show their spirit and support for the cause. It’s also Greek Night and UTSA’s Greek organizations are expected to be out in full force. The DonutNV food truck will also have a giveaway, proving and order of free pink donuts to the first 50 fans wearing pink at the truck. SA City will be Thursday’s Club of the Game.
Both UTSA men's and women's basketball teams will be in attendance for a halftime autograph session, ahead of their exhibition games this Saturday, Oct. 25, in the San Antonio Challenge.
In addition to DonutNV, the Tláloc food truck will also be on site.
Following the action
The game will be carried live on ESPN+ with Karl Schoening and Katie Goodman on the broadcast call.
UTSA Athletics will also provide live stats.
Tickets to Thursday’s Game
Single-game tickets are available online, at the UTSA ticket office and at the Park West box office (an hour before game time).
All seating is general admission - Buy Memphis vs. UTSA Tickets Here
- Adults - $10
- Juniors (ages 3-18) - $7
- Seniors (ages 65+) - $7
- Military (with ID) - $7
- UTSA Students: Free Admission with UTSA ID, download tickets at goUTSA.com/studentlogin.
About the Roadrunners
It’s still a fight to the finish for the Roadrunners as UTSA aims to lock up their spot in the American Conference Championships for the first time since joing the league. UTSA is tied for third in the conference standings after a 2-0 loss at Tulsa snapped the team’s school-record nine straight undefeated streak that dated back to Aug. 31. The last time at home, UTSA notched a series-first victory over South Florida and UTSA fans make the trip hard on the opposition – with UTSA going 5-1-2 (75 percent) at home this year and registering a 26-9-8 (69.8) win rate since the 2020-21 season.
The Roadrunners have scored in eight of the last nine games and average 1.07 goals off 13.7 shots per contest. Senior midfielder Zoë May has delivered for the Roadrunners consistently, topping the squad with four goals, while freshman forward Brooklyn Bailey holds a team-high three assists. Bailey also leads the team with 28 shots, and May has posted a .527 SOG percentage on a team-best 11 on-target shots.
Expecting a big draw for the big-time ranked American Conference matchup, the Roadrunner fans are known to pack the stands, ranking 64th nationally with a 673 average attendance. Heading into Thursday with two games left on the home slate, UTSA is just 1,616 shy of the program’s attendance record from 2023.
About the Memphis Tigers
The Tigers match UTSA’s historic highest-ranked opponent and are on a roll this season with a 13-0-2 record, seeing draws against UAB in conference play and early against then-second-ranked Tennessee. Since UAB, the Tigers have won six straight by a lopsided combined 17-2 margin, including four shutouts. Memphis boasts the 13th-best scoring offense in the country at 2.60 goals per game on a 16.6 shots per game average. Every year, the Tigers deliver an explosive offense but this year they have the defense to match, holding the NCAA’s No. 2 GAA at 0.40 and an .833 save percentage – doing a great job of keeping the opposition out of the box with just 2.0 saves per game.
Returning for her third year, junior forward Ashley Henderson paces the team with a lofty sixth-ranked 64 shots (4.67 per game), producing five goals and four assists, but sophomore midfielder Ai Kitagawa tops the squad with eight goals off 35 shots. Freshman forward Ellis Kelly also has five goals among seven Tigers with at least three goals. Between the pipes, it’s been a banner year for sophomore Abby Kudla with seven shutouts, an .800 save percentage and the NCAA’s third-ranked GAA at 0.46.
Series history
The Roadrunners and Tigers are meeting only for the third time, with the series opening on UTSA’s joining the American. Both previous outings have ended in 1-0 setbacks for the Roadrunners against the high-scoring Tiger offense. Last season in Memphis, UTSA held the game in a stalemate all the way to the 79th minute when Alex Mackay netted the gamewinner for the Tigers. In that matchup, Kessler logged six saves.
UP NEXT: Sunday is the final appearance for the Roadrunners at Park West this season, hosting East Carolina for Senior Day. UTSA will bid farewell to five players and manager Steeden Jefferson. Making their final Park West appearance will be: Izzy Lane, Haley Lopez, Zoe May, Rylee Miller and early graduate Michelle Polo.
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