PHILADELPHIA – The UTSA soccer team (8-5-5, 4-3-3 AMER) closed off the 2025 regular season with an important win on the road, topping Temple (4-15-0, 1-9-0 AMER) on Thursday afternoon at the Temple Sports Complex. Earning their eighth win and first American winning record on the verge of postseason play, the Roadrunners moved past an early-game setback to finish off the Owls in a 3-1 result. Next up is the American Conference Championships, Nov. 3-9 in Lakewood Ranch, Fla. Seeding will be announced after all Thursday games are completed.
Emphasizing head coach Derek Pittman’s statement that every American team can be dangerous, Temple was able to capitalize on an officiation review, taking a lead in the first 10 minutes as Valentina Bitterwolf delivered on a penalty kick from a handball in the box.
The Roadrunners didn’t bend despite the deficit, producing a rapid response. Izzy Lane served up a cross near the endline to the top of the attacking zone, as Leah Varela and Brooklyn Bailey created a passing triangle that finished on a rocket from the edge of the 18-yard box by Michelle Polo in the 12th minute – knotting the score with her fourth goal of the season.
In the 23rd minute, Kameron Kloza pushed the ball ahead with a deep service from beyond midfield, Ava Jackson picking up the pass at the corner of the 6-yard box and pulling the go-ahead score past goalkeeper Taylor Vecchione.
At the break, the Roadrunners had locked up a 9-3 shooting advantage, forcing Vecchione into four saves in the opening period.
In the 60th minute, Bailey saw an opening and hurried up on a throw-in, getting it ahead to Jackson driving down the left side, but she gave it up to Zoё May at the front of the 6-yard box, driving in her fifth goal of the season high and right past Vecchione.
Although May’s goal was the only addition in the second half, the Roadrunners cranked up the heat, adding another 12 shots and six more on goal after half for a final 21-10 shot advantage.
Vecchione worked to keep UTSA from making the deficit much worse, finishing the Owls’ final game with nine saves.
Leading the Roadrunners offensively, May had four shots, all on goal, while Jackson put both her shots on target with a goal and an assist, while Bailey had two assists.
Goals
UTSA: Michelle Polo (11’), Ava Jackson (23’), Zoё May (60’)
TEM: Valentina Bitterwolf (8’)
Quoting Coach Derek Pittman
“Really proud of our entire group for their performance tonight and finishing conference play strong with a quality road win. To set a program record for points in the American and secure our first winning league record shows how far this team has come in the last 3 years. We’ve continued to grow each week, and now we wait on other league results to see where we land for the seeding in the conference tournament.”
UP NEXT: After returning from Philadelphia, it will be a short turnaround for the Roadrunners, who travel to the American Conference Championships, running Nov. 3-9 at the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. UTSA will learn its seed and opponent on Thursday after all conference games are final.
- UTSA -