UTSA soccer impresses in season-opening exhibition against Texas

SAN ANTONIO — For its first showcasing of the season, UTSA soccer held a friendly against the University of Texas at Austin on Wednesday at Park West. The exhibition’s structure consisted of two 35-minute halves and two 10-minute situational drill sessions. 

The Roadrunners led after the first 70 minutes by way of a score from sophomore forward Brooklyn Bailey in the 4th minute. In the first 10-minute period, Longhorns midfielder Sadie Hoch found the net with six seconds remaining. Both sides went scoreless for the final period, making the Longhorns’ first visit to Park West an unofficial draw. 

“I wanted to play this game,” coach Derek Pittman said. “We’ve got Texas State and TCU on opening weekend. Who better to get you ready for that than the Longhorns? I have a tremendous amount of respect for [Texas head coach] Margueritte [Bates] and their coaching staff. [Texas assistant coach] Courtney Drummond and I have been friends for nearly 20 years. 

“They’re going to have that program turned around, and they’re doing a great job. I know they play quality soccer. We had to be disciplined, and I was really proud of our players and how they came out.” 

Bailey’s 4th-minute goal materialized off a pass from junior forward Shea Ryan. The Texas A&M University transfer paced past Longhorn opponents on the left side of the pitch before dishing a pass to the center of the penalty box, narrowly missing sophomore forward Ava Jackson. The pass still found its way to Bailey, and she drove in the score with the left foot. 

“I was just running on the backside,” Bailey said.  “Ava made a great first post run, and then Shea made an early cross. It was literally given to me on a platter, and all I had to do was finish it. Overall, it was a big team effort, and I was able to reap the rewards of it and put the ball in the back of the net.” 

Pittman told his team before the exhibition that the match was not about winning or losing, and that he hoped his team would get “punched in the mouth.” He wanted to see how his team would respond to adversity.

“I think it’s really important for our team to stay humble and hungry,” Pittman explained. “Yeah, we won a trophy last year, but that doesn’t mean anything. We got picked second in [the American Conference]. I told them, ‘Don’t buy into it. We’ve got a lot of work to do.’ Tonight, I thought we learned a lot, and that’s what matters most.”

The Roadrunners will head south to face Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi for their second and final exhibition match at noon Saturday at Dr. Jack Dugan Soccer & Track Stadium.