CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
 
LAKEWOOD RANCH, Florida – Rice and UTSA advanced to the championship game of the of the 2025 American Women’s Soccer Championship, after winning penalty shootouts in the semifinals on Thursday, November 6 at the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch, Florida.
 
The Owls (10-3-6) and the Roadrunners (9-5-6) will meet in the final on Sunday, November 9 at 2 p.m. Eastern on ESPNU.
 
No. 6 seed Rice 0, No. 7 seed South Florida 0 (Rice advances on PKs, 6-5)
Rice’s Jordyn Mariam converted her penalty in the seventh round of a shootout to clinch a berth in the finals for Rice over South Florida after a scoreless 110 minutes of regulation and overtime.
 
Both teams had chances in the game, having 17 shots apiece. Kirsten Ruf recorded 11 saves, including six in the second overtime period, in a clean sheet for Rice, while Leire Herraez Gallach made three saves for South Florida.
 
The Owls will play in their first American Women’s Soccer Championship final on Sunday.
 
No. 5 seed UTSA 3, No. 1 seed Memphis 3 (UTSA advances on PKs, 3-1)
After Memphis scored twice in a 5-minute span to take a 3-1 lead with 5:29 remaining, UTSA stormed back with two goals 99 seconds apart to tie the match and send the contest to overtime. After a scoreless 20 minutes of overtime, the Roadrunners were triumphant in the penalty shootout, 3-1.
 
Ally Casey gave the Tigers a 2-1 lead in the 80^th minute and Elise Perron doubled the lead in the 85^th minute, but goals by Brooklyn Bailey and Aaliyaiah Durden in the 86^th and 88^th minutes tied the match.
 
In the shootout, Roadrunner goalkeeper Jasmine Kessler, who made seven saves in regulation, took the first penalty for UTSA and scored, then made a diving save to clinch a berth in the final for UTSA.
 
UTSA will also play in its first American Women’s Soccer Championship final on Sunday.
 
2025 American Women’s Soccer Championship
Premier Sports Campus (Lakewood Ranch, Fla.)
Admission is free to the matches.
 
Championship Schedule
Monday, November 3
Quarterfinal 1 – No. 7 seed South Florida 3, No. 2 seed Charlotte 0 | Box Score | Highlights
Quarterfinal 2 – No. 6 seed Rice 1, No. 3 seed Tulsa 0 | Box Score | Highlights
Quarterfinal 3 – No. 5 seed UTSA 2, No. 4 seed UAB 1 | Box Score | Highlights
Quarterfinal 4 – No. 1 seed Memphis 1, No. 5 UTSA 0 | Box Score | Highlights
 
Thursday, November 6
Semifinal 1 – No. 6 seed Rice 0, No. 7 seed South Florida 0 (Rice advances on PKs, 6-5) | Box Score | Highlights
Semifinal 2 – No. 5 seed UTSA 3, No. 1 seed Memphis 3 (UTSA advances on PKs, 3-1) | Box Score | Highlights
 
Sunday, November 9
Championship Final – No. 6 seed Rice vs. No. 5 seed UTSA | 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT | ESPNU