LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. – The UTSA soccer team (8-5-5, 4-3-3 AMER) is back in the postseason for the first time since 2022, opening up American Conference Championships play this week as the fifth seed. The Roadrunners will take on fourth-seeded UAB (7-5-6, 4-3-3 AMER) on Monday, Nov. 3, in a 4 p.m. CT kickoff at the Premier Sports Campus – marking the first program appearance in the American’s tournament and first conference tournament appearance since 2022. The game between the Roadrunners and Blazers is set for broadcast on ESPN+.
As the fifth seed in the tournament, the Roadrunners finished the regular season in a tie for third in the American standings – the highest conference finish for UTSA since the 2010 season.
Following the action
The game will be carried live on ESPN+ with Sean Salisbury and Jade Barkett on the broadcast call from Lakewood Ranch.
The American Conference will also provide live stats.
About the Roadrunners
The Roadrunners finished the season on a high note with a 3-1 road win at Temple and have registered the highest conference finish since the 2010 season to generate the program’s first appearance in the American Championships. A proven defense that will create pressure on both sides of the ball, the fifth-seeded Roadrunners rank second in the conference in goals-against-average (0.78), save percentage (.839) and shutout percentage (.389). UTSA went 18 straight games (into last season) with one goal or less allowed, holding that standard since 2020 in 74-of-95 (77.9 percent) of games, with a 0.79 GAA in that span. In 18 games this season, UTSA has only allowed 14 opposing scores, notching seven total shutouts. Offensively, UTSA averages 1.11 goals on 14 shots and 5.8 on-goal shots per game – the shot average ranking fifth in the conference.
Matching the same count from the 2022 championship squad, UTSA had four players recognized on Sunday morning as members of the 2025 American All-Conference Teams, with defender Kameron Kloza (first team), goalkeeper Jasmine Kessler (second team), midfielder Zoë May (third team) and forward Brooklyn Bailey (all-freshman team) each receiving their well-deserved accolades.
A senior from Ottawa, Ontario, May paces the Roadrunners in scoring, logging team highs of five goals on 15 on-target shots and a .556 shooting percentage. May also registered a pair of assists. On a tear toward the end of her season, early-graduating junior forward Michelle Polo has recorded four goals, with three coming in the past five games. Bailey is a proven shooting threat and dangerous in service, leading UTSA with 32 shots as well as five assists. Bailey has 11 on-target shots, while Polo, redshirt freshman forward Ava Jackson and senior forward Izzy Lane each have 10. Between the pipes, Kessler has been a steady force through 18 starts, bringing her school record for goalkeeper starts to 47 consecutive. Kessler leads the American in save percentage at .829 (49th NCAA), is second in GAA at 0.82 (58th NCAA) and second in solo shutouts (5). This season, Kessler registered the school records for career shutouts (15) and draws (11).
About the UAB Blazers
One of the toughest teams to force a result on with a league-high six draws on the season, UAB finished the season winning four of its last five to rise up into the tie for third and the fourth seed in the third season under Lisa Mann. The Blazers also make a strong defensive stand, ranking fourth in the American in GAA at 1.22 but their save percentage is ninth at .725, while opponents have averaged 11.6 shots per game. The Blazers keep it balanced with a strong offensive attack that produces a league fourth-best 1.83 goals per game with 13.4 shots and 6.6 on-target shots per game.
When UTSA faced UAB in late September, it was 2024 all-conference second team senior forward Jette Zimmer and junior forward Avery Berryman topping the squad with three goals apiece. Since then, junior Lailah Stewart has earned her spot on the 2025 American First Team, reeling off a team-high seven goals and three assists, shooting .676 on goal with 34 shots this year. Berryman didn’t disappear, earning second team all-conference honors after finishing with five goals and four assists on a team-high 39 shots. Senior midfielder Abbey Burns and junior forward Lauren Lucero have eight and seven assists, respectively, to top the team.
In goal, junior Leah Parsons has started every game after transferring from Oregon, allowing 22 goals with 56 saves to date.
Series history
Monday will be the 11th meeting in the overall series, with UAB holding a slight edge at 4-2-4. This is the second time these teams will meet in a conference tournament – the last being UTSA’s run to the Conference USA title in 2022 in Charlotte, N.C. After a Sept. 25 draw at 1-1, UTSA is looking for its first series win since that 2022 overtime victory. Last time with the Blazers in Birmingham, Jackson capitalized on a second-chance opportunity in the 63rd minute to equalize the game. The Roadrunners edged the Blazers on a 16-15 shot count and Kessler had five saves to Parsons’ six.
UTSA Postseason History
The Roadrunners hold an 8-6-1 record in conference tournament games, last making a league appearance in 2022, when UTSA swept past UAB (1-0, OT), North Texas (2-1) and Florida Atlantic (3-2) to produce the program’s first title and NCAA appearance since 2010. UTSA previously earned the Southland Conference Championships title as the 2010 squad went extra time in matchups with Stephen F. Austin (T, 1-1 2OT) and Southeastern Louisiana (W, 1-0 OT) to earn the program’s first title and NCAA postseason.
UP NEXT: The winner of Monday’s quarterfinal will move on to the semifinal round on Thursday, Nov. 6, with a 6 p.m. CT kickoff against the winner between top-seeded Memphis and No. 8 East Carolina. That game will also be broadcast on ESPN+. The conference final is set for Sunday, Nov. 9, with a 1 p.m. CT kickoff on ESPNU.x
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