SAN ANTONIO – Returning home after a gritty battle with defending champion No. 17 Memphis, the UTSA soccer team (6-4-1, 1-2 AAC) is squaring up with the current total wins leader in the league. The Roadrunners will host Rice (8-2-1, 2-1 AAC) for the 16th meeting in the series and 13th consecutive season, dating back to 2008. It’s Salute to First Responders at Park West with a 1 p.m. kickoff. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Salute to First Responders
As part of UTSA Athletics’ effort to honor Hometown Heroes, Sunday will be Salute to First Responders at Park West. Shavano Park Police/Fire Joint Honor Guard will be presenting the colors for the National Anthem. San Antonio Fire Department will have an active fire truck and their antique fire truck on display for fans to take pictures and learn about some of our first responders. UTSA Police will also have vehicles on display for fans. UTSA will be honoring local first responders throughout the game.
Following the Action
Thursday’s American Athletic Conference matchup at the Park West Athletics Complex will air live on ESPN+ with Karl Schoening (play-by-play) and Katie Goodman (analyst) calling the action. UTSA Athletics will also provide Live Stats.
About the Roadrunners
UTSA blanked 17th-ranked and three-time defending AAC Champion Memphis deep into Thursday’s road matchup, but the Tigers found a seam to score in the 78th minute and held on for the 1-0 victory. Between the pipes, sophomore Jasmine Kessler put in a lot of work, tying her career high with six saves against the Tigers.
UTSA is 3-1-1 at home this season and has a proven presence at Park West, sporting a 19-6-6 (.710) record since 2020’s disrupted season. Helping that stat for the Roadrunners is a stalwart defensive approach under seventh-year coach Derek Pittman. With five shutouts on the year, UTSA also has an AAC third-best .814 save percentage and is also third in the conference with a 0.73 goals-against-average. Meanwhile, UTSA fires off 13.91 shots per game and has an AAC-third .497 shooting accuracy.
About Rice
Making a big turnaround from last year’s 3-13-2 finish with eight wins already, sixth-year coach Brian Lee focused on a heavy home schedule and it has paid off with eight wins. However, Sunday will be just the third game away from home for the Owls – where they are 0-2 on the year, with losses at South Florida and Florida State. SMU grad transfer Leah Chancey is powering the scoring effort for the Owls, putting up seven goals so far including three game-winners. The Owls average a league fourth-most 15.18 shots per game, ranking second in the AAC with a .521 shooting accuracy.
On the other end of the field, Rhode Island grad transfer Faith Hutchins has 60 saves to date and the conference’s leading save percentage at .845, logging a 1.02 GAA after 11 games.
Series history
Playing the 13th consecutive season of the series, Rice has been a dominant force in this matchup, leading the all-time record 12-3. In the last meeting, UTSA delivered a 2-0 shutout in Houston in the season finale for both programs. UTSA has won two of the last three and is looking for the first home win since 2013 to snap a five-game losing skid against the Owls at Park West.
UP NEXT: Another big in-state conference matchup, as the Roadrunners travel to Denton to face North Texas on Thursday, Oct. 3. The Mean Green are leading the conference race with a 3-0 league record.
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