SAN ANTONIO – All the tuneups are complete and now it’s time for the 2026 UTSA soccer team to play one for real, as the defending American Conference Champion Roadrunners open their 2026 campaign with a big in-state rivalry matchup on Wednesday night. Kicking off at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 12 in the 13th edition of the Battle for I-35, presented by Las Palapas at the Park West Athletics Complex, UTSA will host the 2025 Sun Belt Conference Champion Texas State. Wednesday’s season opener will be broadcasted live on ESPN+.
Game Theme/Promotions
With the Battle for I-35 presented by Las Palapas at the center of focus for the first UTSA athletics competition of the school year, the Roadrunners will take the opportunity to celebrate last year’s first-ever American championship. A station will be set for photo opportunities with the trophy, and the first 250 fans will receive a 2025 American Champs t-shirt from the fan engagement team. Fans are encouraged to wear navy to “Navy Out” Park West and enjoy not only the game, but Las Palapas food trucks, inflatables for kids and postgame autographs with the 2026 Roadrunners – signing the hot-off-the-press 2026 schedule poster. 956 United is the Club of the Game.
On the Air
Catch the live broadcast from Park West streaming on ESPN+, featuring EJ Sanchez (play-by-play), alongside Ryan Smith (analyst) on the broadcast call.
UTSA Athletics will also provide LIVE STATS from Park West.
Season Tickets
UTSA Soccer season tickets are available for the 2026 campaign starting at just $70 (including fees). 2026 season ticket holders receive a ‘thank you’ gift from the team and have access to exclusive team activities, including a team practice, lunch and post-game autograph session. Season ticket members can also purchase a limited-edition 2025 American Championship scarf with their season tickets for an additional $35 at time of purchase (a total price of $105 with ticket fees). UTSA set a single-season school record for total attendance with 7,045 fans at Park West during the 2025 campaign. The average attendance mark of 705 was the second-best in Park West history and welcomed four of the top eight crowds in the facility’s history.
Tickets to Wednesday’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 and listed pricing includes fees
Buy Texas State vs. UTSA Tickets Here
- Adults - $12
- Juniors (ages 3-18) - $10
- Seniors (ages 65+) - $10
- Military (with ID) - $10
- UTSA Students: Free Admission with UTSA ID, download tickets at goUTSA.com/studentlogin.
About the Roadrunners
Moving beyond the historic 20th season and into the 2026 campaign, the Roadrunners open the ninth season under head coach Derek Pittman as defending American Conference Champions after fighting through the American Championships last November in Florida, going 2-0-1 to push past UAB, No. 3 Memphis and then a golden goal victory over Rice to clinch the title and earn the first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2022. The Roadrunners finished 10-6-6 last year and head into the new season picked at No. 2 in the Preseason American Conference Coaches Poll.
Under Pittman, UTSA has collected tournament titles in the last two conference tournaments and is now undefeated in league tournament games since 2021, going 5-0-1. UTSA has also reached the NCAA Championships twice in that span via those titles, logging a 47-31-21 record (.581 winning percentage) over the past five years. Laying the foundation for UTSA’s ever-rising success has been a strong homefield advantage on the pitch at Park West, where the Roadrunners have earned victory in an imposing 66.7 percent (26-11-8) of home games since 2020.
While the Roadrunners will see 17 newcomer and first-year faces appear on the pitch and the sidelines, many of the familiar names from last season are back for more, including First Team All-Region defender Kameron Kloza and Third Team All-Region Goalkeeper Jasmine Kessler – with both finding a spot on the American Conference watch list and a historic firsts on the United Soccer Coaches positional watch lists. American Championships Most Outstanding Offensive Player Bri Carrigan returns, as does American All-Freshman Team forward Brooklyn Bailey and All-Tournament honoree Aaliyaiah Durden, along with returning starters Ava Jackson, Leah Varela, Addi O’Kelley and Isabel Peters.
Among the 17 new faces on the roster for 2026, seven are from the high school ranks, eight are transfers and two are returning players who did not see 2025 action.
About the Texas State Bobcats
Much like the Roadrunners, the Bobcats reached the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in program history after advancing past fifth-seeded James Madison on penalties, downing top-seed South Alabama on a 1-0 win and topping ULM in the final to win the program’s first Sun Belt Championship on its way out of the league. Steve Holeman is in his fourth season after leading TXST to a 10-4-7 finish last year.
The Bobcats also were picked at No. 2 in their new Pac-12 preseason standings, with honors highlighting returners Victoria Meza, Helen Alormenu and Matsuri Tsutsui. Meza is a senior who earned All-Sun Belt First Team after registering four goals, three assists and 35 shots. A 2025 United Soccer Coaches All-Region third-teamer, Alormenu led the team with 16 points off five goals and six assists. Tsutsui tied the TXST freshman record with a team-high eight assists last season.
An intense brand of play not unlike UTSA’s, the Bobcats’ accurate offense drove the team’s success with an NCAA 16th-ranked .526 accuracy, logging the NCAA’s 36th-best scoring with 42 goals, helped by a 20th-ranked 2.14 assists per game. Defensively, the Bobcats gave a little slack, averaging 1.23 goals-against-average, 3.71 saves per game and a .750 save percentage.
Series history
The Roadrunners and Bobcats will meet for the 13th time on Wednesday, dating back to a 2-2 double-overtime draw in UTSA’s first season in 2006. Texas State has the slight edge at 6-4-2, while the home team has won each of the last two outings. In the last six meetings, the outcome has been decided by a single goal. In the last meeting, 2024 in San Marcos, Mady Soumare netted a Meza-assisted score in the 19th minute of a very physical game. A Roadrunners red card left UTSA down a player from the 32nd minute, but still pressured TXST with an 8-4 shot advantage in the second half. Caitlyn Draper saved a late Kloza header to preserve the TXST win.
UP NEXT: The opening matchups for the week just get bigger, as UTSA heads north to face sixth-ranked TCU in Fort Worth on Sunday, Aug. 16 at 7 p.m. in Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium, making it back-to-back years facing the Horned Frogs.
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