SAN ANTONIO – The first of two regular season-closing matchups for the UTSA soccer team (7-4-5, 3-3-2 AMER), the Roadrunners will head up I-35 to Denton for a Friday matchup at North Texas (4-6-6, 0-3-5 AMER). With kickoff set for 7 p.m. at Norma Knobel Hunt Stadium, Friday’s game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ as the Roadrunners jockey for conference standing heading into conference tournament selection.
On the Air and on the Web
Catch the live broadcast from Norma Knobel Hunt Stadium streaming on ESPN+, featuring James Trietley (play-by-play) and Laura Sadler (analyst) on the broadcast call.
North Texas Athletics will also provide LIVE STATS from Denton.
About the Roadrunners
Every game result is vital across the conference with just two regular season contests remaining. The Roadrunners are in a tie for fifth in the American Conference standings and have gone unbeaten in four of the last five outings. However, it’s a long rivalry that has delivered finishes determined by one goal or less in five of the last seven.
The Roadrunners will rely on their brand of physical, stout defense that Derek Pittman’s teams are known for, fresh off a 1-0 shutout of Temple last Sunday. With senior Jasmine Kessler set to make her 69th consecutive appearance in goal, the Roadrunners rank fifth in league goals-against-average on Kessler’s 1.26 GAA and sixth with her .733 save percentage.
Sitting at fourth in the league’s overall win percentage, UTSA is averaging 1.5 goals on 13.5 shots, with 6.4 on-goal shots and an American fourth-best .472 team shooting percentage. Among 12 scorers on the board this season, four Roadrunners pace the team with three goals apiece, all underclassmen: sophomore Brooklyn Bailey, sophomore Sofia Peters, redshirt sophomore Ava Jackson and redshirt sophomore Leah Varela. Coming off a program record-setting 12 shots against Temple, Bailey ranks 87th nationally with 51 shots (3.2 spg) and has moved up to fifth in the single-season records, 18 attempts shy of the program standard. With nine assists and the school record, Varela is 11th nationally in total assists and second in the standings among American Conference players. Varela and Jackson chip in 25 and 20 shots respectively, alongside redshirt junior Sabrina Taber to round out the top four shooters – the quartet accounting for 53.7 percent of the squad’s attempts and 54 percent of UTSA’s on-target chances.
About the North Texas Mean Green
It’s the final home game for renowned North Texas coach John Hedlund, who will retire following his 32nd season, adding some extra charge to the rivalry game. The Mean Green are looking for their first conference win with a 4-6-6 (0-3-5 AMER) record heading into the final two games. North Texas is 2-3-4 at home this season after a 1-1 draw over the weekend against league-leading Memphis – their last road win coming on Sept. 10 over Nelson with a 10-0 margin that shifted their stat averages.
North Texas’ defense is ninth with a 1.75 GAA, with fifth-year goalkeeper Sarah Margaret Seabrook holding a .667 save percentage on 56 stops this season. On offense, the Mean Green have the American’s top scorer in Claire Niedermeier, who has 13 on the season and a 0.8 gpg average, taking 58 shots on the year with 30 on goal. With 11 total scorers, Payton Annis, Mya Mitchell, Rydlii Reves and Beya Rosales each have a pair to their ledgers In a shot-heavy approach that’s standard under Hedlund, UNT averages 1.7 goals, an American second-most 16.5 shots and 6.5 on-goal shots, with a league-11th .394 team SOG percentage.
Series history
Second among UTSA’s longest series, these teams are meeting for the 16th time with North Texas garnering a hotly contested 8-6-1 advantage. UTSA won the last meeting in San Antonio in 2025, as the Roadrunners all but shut down the UNT offense and scored in the 82nd minute for the 1-0 win after owning the shot differential, 13-1. Last time in Denton, the Mean Green fell behind with an early coaching red card and a pair of first-half UTSA goals, but rallied to a 2-2 comeback draw secured on an 86th-minute goal. Historically, UTSA is 1-5-1 in Denton, with the last win dating back to the first meeting in 2008.
UP NEXT: One more regular season date remains for the Roadrunners, as UTSA returns to the Park West Athletics Complex on Nov. 3, at home with Florida Atlantic in town for UTSA’s Fan Appreciation Game. UTSA will be issuing an Online Only Fan Appreciation Offer with $7 Tickets. For the top eight teams in the league, the American Championships will run from Nov. 8-14 at the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch, Fla.
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