Members of the UTSA soccer team milled around the field at Park West Complex on Halloween night. Some had tears in their eyes, others consoled teammates with hugs.

Rarely has a win felt like a loss. But that’s where the Roadrunners found themselves.

UTSA defeated Florida Atlantic 2-1 in a key American Athletic Conference matchup at Park West Complex, momentarily keeping alive its aspirations of advancing to the league’s postseason tournament.

But 700 miles away, Tulsa scored a late goal to tie conference champion Memphis 1-1, leaving Tulsa and UTSA tied for eighth place in the AAC, the final slot into the tournament. Tulsa, which closed the regular season with back-to-back draws
vs. Memphis and South Florida, the No. 1 and No. 2 teams, advanced by a 2-1 win against the Roadrunners on Oct. 10.

“We knew at the end of the day all we could do is control ourselves and our preparation and our play,” UTSA coach Derek Pittman said. “Our players did that today, and they gave everything they have.”

UTSA (8-7-3 overall, 3-5-2 in AAC) scored two goals in 16 minutes during the latter stages of the contest to conclude the season on a winning note. The scoring outburst was bittersweet, displaying the team’s desire to win but also a flaw.

The Roadrunners this season had several games in which a lapse or breakdown led to a goal that turned a potential win into a tie or a tie into a loss. The squandered chances added up, costing UTSA crucial points that would likely have locked up a postseason berth before the finale.

“The coaches are always harping on moving forward, but in these situations, it’s kind of hard to not look back and wonder if we would’ve played like this in one more game, how could the outcome be different,” UTSA senior midfielder Jordyn Hyland said. “I think we deserved to win most of the games that we lost this season, so I think that makes it even tougher. This game, we really harped on finishing our chances because that’s what we’ve been struggling with. We were able to do that, but it just sucks that the outcome didn’t come our way, and we aren’t able to go to the tournament.”

Senior defender Sasjah Dade netted the game-winner in the 83rd minute, heading in sophomore midfielder Sophie Morrin’s corner kick. Hyland tied the contest at 1-1 in the 67th minute when she blasted a shot into the upper right corner. Defender Rylee Low started the scoring sequence with a throw-in that midfielder Zoe May headed into the center of the penalty area and the pass appeared to deflect off senior midfielder Olivia Alvarez and fell to Hyland’s feet.

“I thought when we scored, we were for sure in (the postseason tournament),” Dade said of her goal. “It’s on us that we left it this long to have to depend on another team’s result. We’ve got to take that to the chin.”

Florida Atlantic, which like UTSA needed a win and a Tulsa loss to make the postseason, grabbed a 1-0 lead only 8 1/2 minutes into the second half on a goal from Sutton Markee.

terrence@terrencesports.com
Twitter: @sa_terrence1