IRVING, Texas – In the buildup to conference tournament action, two members of the UTSA soccer team have been named to the 2026 American All-Conference teams, officials from the league office announced on Friday. Midfielder Leah Varela was selected to the conference’s first team, while forward Brooklyn Bailey landed on the third team. The Roadrunners ended the season tied for fourth in the standings and head to the American Championships for the second consecutive year.
A redshirt sophomore from Rio Rancho, New Mexico, Varela gives UTSA back-to-back seasons with a first-teamer and in three of the last five seasons. Varela has earned consistent accolades throughout the season, going consecutive weeks as American Midfielder of the Week (Oct. 20 and Oct. 26) and earning two weekly Honorable Mentions as a Roadrunners leader across the middle. Varela rose to the top tier of NCAA and American standings while setting a new single-season assists record with nine, sending her into this weekend ranked 17th in the nation and second in the American, logging 0.50 assists per game. Tying for the second-most UTSA goals with three scores on three successful penalty kicks, including game-winners over Temple and UIW, Varela is also UTSA’s points leader this season with 15. The UTSA minutes leader at 1,511 while starting all 18 games, Varela has built a .654 SOG percentage, taking 17 of her 26 attempts on target.
In her second year out of Spring, Texas, Bailey collects third-team honors after being on the All-Freshman Team and the All-Tournament Team a year ago. She too has notched a UTSA record, registering a single-game shots mark of 12 against Temple on October 25. For her season-long efforts, Bailey has registered a team-high 55 shots, which places her third on the UTSA single-season records (just 14 attempts off the all-time season best). Bailey ranks sixth in the American in shots, seventh in shots per game (3.06) and 89th nationally. She is 10th in the American in on-goal shots per game with an average of 1.2, shooting .382 SOG on the year. Starting 16-of-18 games, Bailey also ties for the second-most goals on the year with three scores and has two assists on the season, placing her third among team scorers with eight points. Bailey was twice named to the American’s weekly Honorable Mention this season.
The defending American Conference Champion Roadrunners (8-5-5, 4-4-2 AMER) are slated to open American Conference Championships action on Sunday, Nov. 8, at the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. Set for a 4 p.m. CT kickoff, the fifth-seeded Roadrunners will take on fourth-seeded Rice to make it three conference tournament appearances in the last five seasons and in consecutive years at the American Championships.
- UTSA -