Soccer

Soccer team hopes to keep momentum going against UTSA

The Cougars will be on the prowl this weekend, hunting for their fifth win of the season against the UTSA Roadrunners in a 1 p.m. showdown on Sunday at the UTSA Recreational Sports Complex in San Antonio.

“Every year we have a battle with UTSA,” head coach Susan Bush said. “The last few times they’ve actually beaten us. We know it’s going to be a tough game, especially on the road.

“They play a style similar to what we play. Really, it’s going to be about who has the ball for the most time and who can finish their chances.”

Like the Cougars, the Roadrunners (4-3-0) are an attacking team and have outscored their opponents 22-11. The Cougars 18-4 advantage on their opposition has them ranked second overall in goals scored for Conference USA, and first in goals allowed.

The Cougars are 1-3 all-time against the Roadrunners, losing 2-1 in a double-overtime thriller last season, and their previous two matches in the series. The Cougars have improved this year, though, having already matched their win total from last season.

Coming off a 7-0 victory against TSU, Bush said that focus and consistency would be the themes of this week’s practices, and that the Cougars did much better in those areas during the week.

“We’ve talked about it, we’ve addressed it and we’re conscious of it,” Bush said. “My philosophy is that practice carries over to the games and our starting 11 are very fluid, so we like to reward hard work through the practice. So I think it has been really competitive this week, which I think will help us through the rest of the season.”

The Cougars will return home to Robertson Stadium next Friday at 7 p.m. to face SMU in their C-USA opener.

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