SAN ANTONIO – It’s the start of a big week of matchups for the UTSA soccer team (6-3-5, 2-2-2 AMER), which heads east to take on league-leading Memphis (8-3-2, 5-0-1 AMER) at the Billy J. Murphy Soccer and Track & Field Complex on Thursday. Pitting the American’s preseason No. 1 and No. 2 teams against one another, kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
On the Air
Catch the live broadcast from Memphis streaming on ESPN+, with Tim Van Horn calling the game.
Memphis Athletics will also provide LIVE STATS from Billy J. Murphy.
About the Roadrunners
It’s a crucial stretch for the defending American Conference Tournament champion Roadrunners after going unbeaten in the past three outings. UTSA sits in a tie for sixth in the league standings, logging the third-best overall win percentage in the American. Both sides of the ball will be tested at Memphis and the Roadrunners are third in the conference in points per game (5.14), assists per game (1.86), goals-against-average (1.14) and save percentage (.765). UTSA averages 1.64 goals per game on 13.5 shots, 6.3 shots on goal and a team .466 SOG percentage. Three Roadrunners, sophomore Sofia Peters, sophomore Brooklyn Bailey and redshirt sophomore Ava Jackson each have three goals apiece to lead 12 UTSA scorers. The newly-crowned single-season assists record-holder and the reigning American Midfielder of the Week, redshirt sophomore Leah Varela is fifth in the NCAA with nine assists and 0.64 apg. Bailey tops the squad with 39 shots, the seventh-most in the American. In goal, 66 consecutive appearances deep, senior Jasmine Kessler has a 1.15 GAA this season with 51 saves and a .761 save percentage – holding the opposition to one goal or less in 11-of-14 games this year
About the Memphis Tigers
The preseason favorite and 2025 regular season American champion, Memphis is as formidable as ever at the top of the conference standings, having overcome a slow start to deliver wins in five of its six conference games. The Tigers are 5-1-1 at home, coming off a 2-0 win at Temple. The biggest shooter in the league, Memphis tops the conference in shots per game (18.5), SOG per game (8.9) and goal differential (13) while ranking second in scoring at 2.00 gpg. The No. 2 shooter in the American, 2025 All-Region and All-Conference first-team midfielder Ai Kitagawa has a team-best eight goals and five assists on 45 shots. Freshman mid Abby Forsgren is right with her, pacing the team with six assists and four goals, while 2025 American Freshman of the Year Ellis Kelly has taken 44 shots and has three goals and three assists to her ledger. Defensively atop of the conference with a league-leading 1.00 GAA, Memphis’ defense is anchored by sophomore Ava Galani, producing 32 saves and a .711 save percentage.
Series history
A limited series running since UTSA entered the American, the fifth meeting is set for Thursday after the last outing saw all the fireworks. Fighting to advance in last year’s American Championships semifinal, third-ranked Memphis broke a 1-1 stalemate with two late goals in five minutes to pull ahead 3-1 with five minutes to go. Just 71 seconds later, Bailey crossed up the keeper and scored on a wide-open goal. Off Michelle Polo’s free kick in the 88th minute, Aaliyaiah Durden put a perfect header on the game-tying goal. Following a defensive standoff in overtime, it all came down to penalty kicks – with Kessler putting in the first and saving the last for a 3-1 PK advance to the conference final. After that official draw, Memphis leads the series 3-0-1. The last meeting in Memphis in 2024 saw the Tigers limit UTSA’s chances, but Kessler recorded six saves to make it an extra-tense win for Memphis; only decided with a 78th-minute Alex Mackay goal.
UP NEXT: Sunday is Senior Day for the Roadrunners, celebrating Jasmine Kessler, Kameron Kloza and Taliyah Spain after hosting Temple with a 1 p.m. kickoff at the Park West Athletics Complex. It will also be UTSA’s Cantoberfest, taking donations throughout the game for the Roadrunner Pantry and Whataburger Resource Room.
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