Within minutes of UTSA winning the American Conference tournament title, Tom Stone sent a congratulatory text to Kameron Kloza. A former member of the Texas Tech soccer team, Stone wanted Kloza to know he was still thinking about her.
“Never thought I’d be seeing her in a week at that time,” Stone said.
Kloza will be making her return to Lubbock on Friday, Nov. 14, when the Roadrunners take on the sixth-seeded Red Raiders in the first round of the NCAA women’s soccer tournament. Kloza, a native of San Antonio whose father, Danny, was a golfer at UTSA, transferred following the 2023 season and found a healthier, more successful tenure in her second home.
“Kam is a great young woman,” Stone said. “We absolutely adore their family, and she got to UTSA, became a captain and is one of the best defenders in their league and will be one of the best players in the game on Friday. She’s excellent.”
If Kloza is feeling any emotions returning to the John Walker Soccer Complex, she’ll hardly be the only one.
Texas Tech’s senior class features multiple players who have been with the Red Raiders each of the last three years, all of which have resulted in hosting NCAA Tournament matches. Macy Blackburn, the back-to-back Big 12 defender of the year, and Peyton Parsons know they’ll have some feelings come to the surface when they take their home field for the final time as Red Raiders (13-2-4).
The key, they say, is to manage them and use it to their advantage.
“I think there definitely is an emotional aspect,” Blackburn said, “but I think it’s going to push us in the right way and not get too emotional about it that we can’t focus on the game. I definitely think we’re really excited, and so excited to be able to play one more time at home, and I know that, specifically as seniors, we aren’t going to take that for granted.”
Stone said UTSA (10-5-6) will present one of the toughest first-round matchups Texas Tech has faced in recent years. The Roadrunners earned their way into the NCAA Tournament field by winning the American’s automatic bid and hung tough with Tech’s fellow Big 12 teams Houston (0-0 draw) and TCU (1-0 loss) earlier in the year.
“I guarantee it’s going to be the hardest six-seed matchup in the tournament,” Stone said. “They know us well, we know them. It’s going to be a barn burner. We look forward to it because being in the tournament is all about doing whatever it takes. But we’re not kidding ourselves. Think this game is going to be a tough one, because it will be.”
Texas Tech let some opportunities slip late in the season to earn a higher seed, suffering a 3-0 loss at Colorado, tying with UCF at home to end the regular season and falling to Baylor on penalty kicks in the first round of the Big 12 tournament.
The benefit of losing early in the conference tournament was having 10 full days to prepare for UTSA, which Stone says the team has taken advantage of.
“We got a good seed,” Stone said, “and all the Big 12 teams move forward looking to make their mark on the NCAA Tournament.”
2025 NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament: First Round
Matchup: No. 6 Texas Tech (13-2-4) vs. unseeded UTSA (10-5-6)
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: John Walker Soccer Complex
What to know: The winner likely heads to Fort Worth for the next two rounds of the tournament as TCU is the No. 2 seed in this portion of the bracket. Other seeded teams include No. 3 Tennessee and No. 7 Memphis.
Fun fact: Texas Tech last faced UTSA during the 2021 season, a 3-0 win at home for the Red Raiders
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech soccer looks to secure another home NCAA Tournament win against UTSA
Reporting by Nathan Giese, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
