SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA soccer team (7-4-5, 3-2-3 AMER) will take the pitch at the Park West Athletics Complex for the final time this season on Sunday, welcoming East Carolina (5-6-4, 3-3-2 AMER) to San Antonio for the first time in the Roadrunners’ final home game. Sunday will be Senior Day for the Roadrunners, bidding a Park West farewell to Haley Lopez, Zoë May, Rylee Miller, Michelle Polo and Izzy Lane, as well as graduate student manager Steeden Jefferson. Sunday’s game kicks off at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
Senior Day
The Roadrunners will send off five players and one student manager following the completion of Sunday’s home finale. This group of seniors heads into Sunday having helped UTSA to 22 wins and 22 shutouts over the past three years, entering the game with 157 individual starts in 169 individual games that account for over 10,500 combined minutes.
#8, Defender Haley Lopez
A third-year Roadrunner who joined UTSA from Seminole State Junior College, Lopez started 24 of her 28 games at UTSA with over 2000 minutes on the pitch. In games she’s played, the Roadrunners have a 0.79 goals-against-average and she’s been part of 11 shutouts. She’s gone 60 percent shooting on goal. A Dallas native and Rowlett High School graduate, she came to UTSA as an All-Region performer and Region Champion at Seminole State in Oklahoma. A first-generation college student, Lopez is majoring in Communications with an emphasis on Digital Media and she’s set to graduate this semester.
#13, Midfielder Zoë May
A two-year Roadrunner captain who has received American Conference honorable mention twice this season after being on the conference’s preseason watch list, May started all 34 games since arriving from Memphis. She leads the Roadrunners with four of her five UTSA goals coming in this season, including the gamewinner against Lamar. She’s shooting .517 on goal in her UTSA career from her 29 attempts as a Roadrunner, also logged over 2,900 minutes. As a defensive mid, she’s played an integral part in 14 Roadrunner shutouts over the past two years. Hailing from Ottawa, Ontario as a graduate of Immaculata High School, she will graduate with Honors next spring with her degree in Exercise Physiology and a minor in Psychology. She’s highly decorated for her work off the field, earning College Sports Communicators Academic All-District last season and on track to repeat, has been named three times to the American All-Academic Team, was three appearances on the UTSA President’s List and twice on the Dean’s List.
#21, Defender Rylee Miller
She has played in 34 games with 19 starts since joining the Roadrunners from starting the program at Tarleton State. Appearing in nearly 1900 minutes for UTSA and over 4700 in her career, Miller has a .556 UTSA shooting percentage, going .647 on her career. She’s helped the Roadrunners to 14 shutouts with the team recording a 0.76 goals-against-average in games she’s played. In her 71-game NCAA career, Miller has five goals, including two gamewinners and four assists; three assists last season at UTSA. Coming to the Roadrunners as Rylee Low out of Midland, Texas, she is a graduate of Midland Legacy High School where she was an All-District performer. She exchanged vows over the summer and is on the verge of another big milestone, graduating with Honors this semester with her degree in Medical Humanities. A two-time UTSA President’s List honoree with one appearance on the Dean’s list, Miller was a College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honoree, twice named to the American All-Academic team and is the UTSA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee’s Social Media Co-Chair.
#26, Midfielder Michelle Polo
A three-year forward for the Roadrunners who will graduate early in the spring, Polo has played 44 games as a Roadrunner with over 1900 minutes on the pitch. Polo has collected three career goals and five career assists, making 52 shot attempts. Her four assists last season led the team. Honored on the preseason American Conference watch list, she received conference weekly honorable mention for her play at Rice and scored the program’s first goal ever against South Florida. Polo is originally from Magnolia, Texas, where she was a District MVP and Region Champion at Magnolia High. Earning a spot on last year’s College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team, she has been a steady UTSA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representative and is the sitting SAAC Vice President. A three-time Dean’s List honoree with two appearances on the American Conference All-Academic Team, she’s set to graduate in May with Honors for her degree in Nutrition and Health.
#44, Forward Izzy Lane
The Roadrunner senior hailing from the greatest distance in London, England, by way of two seasons at Delaware. In Lane's two years at UTSA, she’s played 29 games with 27 starts, racking up nearly 1800 minutes and scoring two goals with two assists and 36 shots. She notched a gamewinner in both seasons, including the score to beat North Texas this season and received American Conference weekly honorable mention this year. In her NCAA career, she’s played 64 games with four goals and nine assists in nearly 3900 minutes. A graduate of Sir Thomas Fremantle School, she played for Tottenham Hotspur Academy and in the Women’s Super League. Lane will graduate with Honors this semester with her degree in Communications after appearing on the UTSA Dean’s List twice.
Graduate Student Manager Steeden Jefferson
Finishing up his second season as a graduate student manager for the Roadrunners, Steeden Jefferson has played a huge role in UTSA’s success with the support and services he’s provided to the players, coaches and equipment staff. Set to earn his master’s degree with Honors this fall in Sport Psychology, he already earned his undergraduate degree at UTSA in Kinesiology. Originally from Pearland, Texas, he coached UTSA Women’s Club Volleyball for three years with their top finish at nationals in 2023.
Promotions and Activities
UTSA soccer is celebrating Cantoberfest on Sunday. When fans donate $5 or a non-perishable food item for Roadrunner Pantry, they can receive a UTSA ‘Birds Up’ pint glass. There will also be an opportunity for the fans to pick and paint a pumpkin from the Park West Pumpkin Patch and have a good time in the bounce house.
Following the action
The game will be carried live on ESPN+ with Dylan Pescatore and Callum Riley on the broadcast call.
UTSA Athletics will also provide live stats.
Tickets to Sunday’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 East Carolina 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
Two contests left in the season and the Roadrunners are vying for their first appearance in the American Conference Championships. A win or a draw in that stretch will provide UTSA the chance to clinch its spot. The Roadrunners are tied for fourth in the league standings heading into Sunday’s game with a 3-2-3 American record. The Roadrunners are 5-2-2 (66.7 percent) at home this year and have logged a 26-10-8 (68.2 percent) win rate at home since the 2020-21 season.
On track for their second consecutive winning season, the Roadrunners have scored in eight of the last 10 games and average 1.00 goals off 13.1 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 29 shots, and May has posted a .527 SOG percentage on a team-best 11 on-target shots. In goal, junior Jasmine Kessler has started all 16 games and holds an American Conference-second 0.72 GAA, notching 65 saves on an .855 save percentage.
With a big turnout on Sunday for Senior Day via the 715 average attendance, the Roadrunners hope to capitalize on the opportunity to set another attendance record for the second time in three years.
About the East Carolina Pirates
Though the Pirates’ non-conference record didn’t pan out, in league play East Carolina has gutted through some tough matches with a 3-3-2 record, including a 1-1 draw at Rice on Thursday. Led by first-year coach Emily Buccilla, the Pirates also registered 2-0 wins over North Texas and Tulsa.
Last season’s American Conference Tournament Champion, East Carolina averages 1.33 goals on 12.6 shots per game but have also seen a 1.47 GAA that’s slightly weighted against the Pirates due to a 5-0 loss to Memphis last week – eliminate that performance and it’s been a 1.07 GAA this season. Leading the offensive effort for ECU, sophomore forward Caitlen-Star Dolan Boodram paces the Pirates in goals (5) and assists (5), taking a team-high 35 shots with a .543 SOG percentage. Junior forward Alyssa Tucker and sophomore midfielder AJ Mayock each have three goals apiece. Between the pipes, Houston transfer Olivia Dietrich has the majority of minutes for ECU, recording a 1.39 GAA with 56 saves on a .757 save percentage.
Series history
Sunday marks only the second meeting between these squads, and East Carolina’s first visit to Park West. Last season in Greenville, Roadrunners Tyler Coker and Sasjah Dade each netted goals in the 2-0 shutout road victory, in one of the most complete UTSA games of last season. UTSA made the most of its shot opportunities, earning the two-goal win despite a 19-6 ECU shot advantage – the Roadrunners limited the Pirates to just two attempts on goal, while UTSA scored on two of its three.
UP NEXT: In the final contest of the regular season, UTSA travels next Thursday to Philadelphia to face Temple. The target beyond there is the conference championships, running Nov. 3-9 at the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch, Florida.
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