The UTSA women’s soccer team is back in a fast-growing community in southwest Florida. And so much about the return trip is familiar to the previous one.

For starters, the Roadrunners are the No. 5 seed in the American Conference postseason tournament, which starts on Sunday in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. They were the same seed a year ago. Their record this season entering the tournament (8-5-5) is the same as it was last year when they went on a remarkable run to capture the league championship and an NCAA Division I tournament berth. Even the start time for the opening match is identical. Save for staying at a different hotel, nostalgia and repetition are prominent on the agenda.

“A lot of our routine last year was very good, so we’re doing everything we can to try and mirror that,” UTSA head coach Derek Pittman said. “We also know this is a different team, although we have the same ambition. The mentality, I think, is growing within this group of (having) belief. Figuring out which buttons to push and how to best motivate, direct, coach, and kind of lead some of our players, is very, very critical.”

UTSA takes on fourth-seeded Rice in the quarterfinals at 4 p.m. Sunday at the Premier Sports Campus. It is a rematch of last year’s tournament finale, which UTSA prevailed 1-0 in overtime on a goal from midfielder Bri Carrigan. The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Rice (6-7-5), which is led by conference freshman of the year Neerali Kapadia and all-conference performers Sloane Popov, Lilly Reuscher and Valentina Labuschagne and announced earlier this week that coach Brian Lee was leaving after the end of the season, won 3-0 in the first matchup on Oct. 2.

“They kicked our butts in the regular season,” Pittman said.

The Roadrunners were in the midst of a rough patch a month ago. They were the preseason pick to finish second in the American behind Memphis, but didn’t secure a spot in the tournament until Tuesday. Despite a rash of injuries that sidelined nearly 10 players, including about five potential starters, at some point during the season, the Roadrunners feel they might have found a groove during the regular-season finale vs. Florida Atlantic.

“Proud of how our kids fought through some of the adversity that we faced, the challenges, whether through injuries or other circumstances,” Pittman said. “We know it’s going to be a battle, no matter what. We know what it requires, and our players are definitely going to be ready to step up in that moment.”

UTSA has a blueprint that it can lean on. In 2025, the squad defeated Temple in a virtual win-or-go-home match to conclude the regular season and secure a tournament berth.

“Once we make it, all pieces will fall in line,” UTSA record-setting senior goalkeeper Jasmine Kessler said of dealing with the tension of making it to the postseason tournament.

The Roadrunners topped Alabama-Birmingham 2-1 in last year’s opener, getting goals from midfielder Michelle Polo and defender Aaliyaiah Durden for a 2-0 advantage with 30 minutes left to play, then held on during the final 12 minutes after the Blazers cut the margin in half. Carrigan, Leah Varela and Ava Jackson all had assists. In the semifinals against an unbeaten and No. 1 seed Memphis, UTSA trailed 3-1 with 4 1/2 minutes left to in regulation before producing an unthinkable comeback. Forward Brooklyn Bailey scored off a pass from Durden to make it 3-2, and Durden followed by heading in a free kick from Polo to tie it as the Roadrunners scored twice in less than two minutes to force overtime. They prevailed 3-1 on penalty kicks, with Carrigan tallying the decisive conversion and Kessler making a save to end the contest. Two days later, against Rice in the tournament finale, Carrigan gathered a pass from Bryn Maxwell and made a 35-yard run before putting a game-winning shot into the upper left corner in the 99th minute for a 1-0 decision.

Three triumphs. Countless ebbs and flows. Plenty of dramtics. A lifetime of memories. All in seven days

“It’s why I don’t have any hair,” Pittman joked. “Just as much as it can go in our favor — like it did last year — it can also go against us. We still coach a goofy game. Sometimes, you can outshoot opponents 20-2 and lose 1-0. Or you can be outshot 20-2 and find a way to win. We’ve got to go out and do the best we can. I’m happy with the fact that we’re back here to compete for another championship. That’s something that was a goal from the get-go.”

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