IRVING, Texas – Officials from the American Athletic Conference league office announced on Monday the results of the Preseason Coaches Poll and members of the 2023 Women's Soccer Watch List. As a team, UTSA was picked to finish fifth in the The American's West Division, while Roadrunners Sasjah Dade, Mia Krusinski and Alissa Stewart were placed on the watch list for the season.
Dade, a senior from Ontario, California, started all 22 games a year ago and was one of UTSA's key defenders. Tops among defenders and third on the team, Dade recorded five goals and three assists on the season's 21 shots (nine on target), logging a 13-point scoring total – delivering three game-winners in 2022. She has started 47-of-50 games over the past three years and put in 3,833 minutes as a Roadrunner. Last season, Dade was named to the All-Conference USA third team.
One half of UTSA's goalkeeper tandem in 2022, Krusinski came on strong as the season progressed – playing in 8-of-10 conference games. A redshirt junior from Dallas, Krusinski posted an 8-3-1 record and four shutouts in 11 starts (14 games), recording a .771 save percentage with a team-best 37 saves. Shining in the postseason finale, she racked up a career-high 11 saves in the NCAA Tournament match against TCU. Also grabbed 10 saves in the three-game Conference USA Tournament Championship stretch, earning a spot of the All-Tournament Team last November.
Rounding out the trio as a graduate student out of Burlington, Ontario, Canada, Stewart scored five goals for 10 points in 22 starts last year. On her career, she's recorded 19 points in 41 games as a forward/midfielder at UTSA. Also a star in the classroom, Stewart was named to the Conference USA All-Academic Team and the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District.
In their first year entering the soccer-strong American Athletic Conference, the league's coaches picked the Roadrunners at fifth in the West Division, behind two-time defending champion Memphis (11 first-place votes), SMU, North Texas and Rice – ahead of Tulsa. South Florida was the unanimous pick to top the East Division. UTSA finished off its stint in Conference USA with a bang in 2022, sweeping through the conference tournament with a conference title and a subsequent NCAA appearance – with the 2022 team picked at sixth in that respective preseason poll.
The 2023 American Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Championship expands to eight teams this season and will be held October 31-November 5 at the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch, Florida.
American Championship
| Team | Points |
| Memphis | 11 |
| SMU | 1 |
| West Division | |
| Team | Points |
| Memphis (11) | 61 |
| SMU (1) | 50 |
| North Texas | 35 |
| Rice | 30 |
| UTSA | 23 |
| Tulsa | 17 |
| East Division | |
| Team | Points |
| South Florida (11) | 61 |
| UAB (1) | 40 |
| Florida Atlantic | 39 |
| East Carolina | 35 |
| Charlotte | 29 |
| Temple | 12 |
American Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Watch List
Carlyn Presley, Jr., M, UAB
Jessica Wheeler, Sr., M, UAB
Asha Zuniga, 5th, D, UAB
Macey Bader, Jr., F, Charlotte
Payton Patrick, Jr., F, Charlotte
Julia Patrum, Gr., M, Charlotte
Annabelle Abbott, Sr., D/F, East Carolina
Maeve English, Sr., GK, East Carolina
Jazmin Ferguson, So., D, East Carolina
Morgan McDonald, So., M, Florida Atlantic
Mia Sennes, R-Jr., F, Florida Atlantic
Jodi Smith, Jr., D, Florida Atlantic
Mya Jones, 5th, F/M, Memphis
Saorla Miller, 5th, M/F, Memphis
Grace Stordy, Sr., D/M, Memphis
Kat Burnell, So., F, North Texas
Rachel Roebuck, Sr., D, North Texas
Bailey Wesco, Jr., F, North Texas
Catarina Albuquerque, Jr., M, Rice
Mikala Furuto, Jr., M, Rice
Sarah Piper, Gr., M, Rice
Vivianne Bessette, Jr., D, South Florida
Madison Schwartzenberger, Jr., M, South Florida
Serita Thurton, Jr., F/M, South Florida
Peyton Annen, So., D, SMU
Wayny Balata, Gr., M, SMU
Sam Estrada, Gr., GK, SMU
Phoebe Hollin, Jr., D, Temple
Fiona Kilian, So., M, Temple
Nicole Sweeney, Gr., F, Temple
Sasjah Dade, Sr., D, UTSA
Mia Krusinski, R-Jr., GK, UTSA
Alissa Stewart, Gr., F/M, UTSA
Liliana Fernandez, Sr., D, Tulsa
Kaylyn Simmons, Fr., F, Tulsa
Maggie SymSmith, So., M, Tulsa
The Roadrunners officially kick off the 2023 season this Thursday, August 17, welcoming Central Arkansas to the Park West Athletics Complex in the seventh meeting of the series.
- UTSA -