LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. – It was a historic start to an already historic appearance for the UTSA soccer team (9-5-5) in Monday’s American Conference Championships quarterfinal, christening the fifth-seeded Roadrunners’ inaugural appearance in the tournament with a 2-1 victory over fourth-seeded UAB (7-6-6). The Roadrunners gathered a secure lead on goals from Michelle Polo and Aaliyaiah Durden, before fending off a late Blazers push in the final 11 minutes.
The Roadrunners may not have had the upper hand in possession in the first half, but when they had the ball, they were on the attack. Though the Blazers held a six-point possession advantage in the opening period, UTSA spent 69 percent of their possessions in UAB’s half. UTSA worked out an 8-6 shot advantage in the first half and placed six of those shots on goal, forcing UAB goalkeeper Leah Parsons into five saves in the first frame.
However, in the 31st minute Polo broke the deadlock wide open, advancing a chain of passes from Bri Carrigan to Ava Jackson, going across her body from the left side to fire the initial score past Parsons into the right side of the net – with the early-graduating junior forward logging her fourth goal in the last six games.
The Roadrunners didn’t let off the gas coming out of the break, reeling off four shots in the first six minutes of the period, including a pair of saved balls. After getting close earlier, the Roadrunners finally connected on a set piece, with Leah Varela serving from the right side perfectly on target for a Durden header, just inside the back post for the 2-0 lead in the 57th minute.
It seemed the Roadrunners netted a third with 23 minutes remaining, but an offsides call kept the margin in place.
With the urgency of a closing season starting to set in, the Blazers added pressure coming down the stretch, as Lailah Stewart broke the shutout with a 79th minute goal to cut the lead in half. However, responding to that pressure, the Roadrunners held UAB without another shot and came away with the program’s first win in the American Championships.
Varela logged three shots with two on target and an assist, Zoё May also had three shots. Logging her third game-winning goal in as many scores, Durden took both her shots on target. In goal for the Roadrunners, Jasmine Kessler added four saves.
Goals
UTSA: Michelle Polo (31’), Aaliyaiah Durden (57’)
UAB: Lailah Stewart (79’)
Quoting Coach Derek Pittman
“I’m so proud of our team tonight. To get our first win in the American Conference Tournament is another historic moment for this program. The players showed extreme character, togetherness, toughness and trust in the plan against a good UAB side. We’ve continued to grow throughout the season, and tonight was another massive step forward. We’ll enjoy this one, then get ready for the next challenge in the semifinal.”
UP NEXT: The Roadrunners will return to action in the American Conference semifinal at the Premier Sports Campus at 6 p.m. CT on Thursday, Nov. 6. UTSA’s next opponent, top-seeded Memphis barely edged out East Carolina, chipping in the gamewinner with three minutes remaining in the final quarterfinal of the night.
- UTSA -