Texas Tech Athletics
Denver
No. 25 Tech heads to Denver for exhibition
August 06, 2025 | Women's Soccer
The Red Raiders and Pioneers are set for a 7 p.m. (CT)/6 p.m. (MT) battle Thursday
DENVER – With just one week until the season opener at San Diego State, No. 25 Texas Tech hits the road for the annual exhibition contest at Denver.
First touch from DU is set for 7 p.m. (CT)/6 p.m. (MT).
The exhibition contest will be the lone for the Red Raiders this fall and will be a great chance for the Red Raiders 10 newcomers to make their unofficial debut.
No live stats or stream will be available, but fans can follow @TexasTechSoccer on X, FB and IG for live match updates.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
MATCHUP: Texas Tech (0-0) at Denver (0-0)
DATE: Thursday, Aug. 7
TIME: 7 p.m. (CT)/6 p.m. (MT)
LOCATION: University of Denver Soccer Stadium (Denver, Colo.)
MATCH NOTES
LOTS COMING BACK:
• Fresh off another NCAA Tournament Round of 32 appearance, the Red Raiders return a veteran-laden squad in 2025 that includes the return of five Preseason All-Big 12 performers including goalkeeper Faith Nguyen, defender Macy Blackburn, midfielders Petyon Parsons and Sam Courtwright as well as forward Taylor Zdrojewski. In total the Red Raiders return seven of its 11 starters from last season's NCAA Tournament match at No. 1 Duke and 37 of the 45 goals (82.2 percent) they scored a season ago. The Red Raiders will also be bolstered by the return of outside back Kylie Bahr and midfielder Sam Courtwright who both missed the entire season in 2024 with knee injuries.Â
ROCKY MOUNTAINS AGAIN:
• No stranger to the city of Denver, head coach Tom Stone will once again break summer camp by taking his team to Colorado for a date with DU. It marks the third-straight season and 11th time overall that Tech and DU will meet in a scrimmage. The Red Raiders have won the last two meetings with DU, 2-0 and 1-0. In both of her career appearances in Denver against DU, Courtwright has scored, including her lone goal of the 2024 season off a set piece in last season's 1-0 win. Stone began his coaching career at Denver, serving as the programs volunteer assistant back in 1996 while he was the founding director at Colorado Rush.
PRESEASON TOP-25 AGAIN:
• After finishing the 2023 and 2024 campaigns inside the top-25, the Red Raiders were once again ranked in the Preseason United Soccer Coaches Association poll, as Tech checked in at No. 25. The top-25 ranking marks the second-straight season that the Red Raiders begin the season ranked inside the top-25.
BIG 12 LOVE:
• After another successful 15-win campaign and their third-straight top-two finish in the Big 12 standings, the Red Raiders were picked to finish second in the preseason poll the Big 12 Conference announced Tuesday. Tech finished with 202 total points and two first place votes, just 21 points behind TCU (223) who was picked to win the Big 12. In addition to Tuesday's poll announcement, a league-best five Red Raiders were named Preseason All-Big 12 squad.
COLORADO KIDS GOING HOME:
• One of the many reasons the Red Raiders make the annual voyage up to Denver to play DU is that the trip provides the chance for rostered players from the State of Colorado to return home. Known as one Tech's major recruiting areas, this year's 30-player roster features five players from the State of Colorado including Bahr, Parsons, freshman Raleigh Greason, senior Molly Skurcenski and junior Skylar Haase.
PORTAL FOR FOUR:
• Seeing the departure of four-year starter Cassie Taylor as well as the graduation of UCLA transfer Jillian Martinez, the Red Raiders aggressively hit the portal this summer adding four players from the Power Four including a trio of ACC players in defenders Emilie McCartney (Miami), Eleanor Hays (Clemson) and midfielder Chole Japic.
• The Red Raiders also added mid-year enrollee Sophie Neves from Alabama. McCartney transfers to Tech after a decorated two-year career at Miami that saw the rising junior play in all 1530 minutes of the Hurricanes season, while Hays arrives in Lubbock after a two-year stint at Clemson where she was a member of the Tigers 2023 College Cup squad before playing in 15 matches in 2024. No stranger to Texas or the Big 12, Japic transferred to Tech after spending the 2022-24 seasons at Virginia and the 2020 and 2021 seasons at Baylor. Japic has played 71 career matches and made 34 starts including 16 starts for UVA in 2023. The Red Raiders final transfer, Neves enrolled early at Tech after spending her first campaign at Alabama where she saw action in 16 contest and made three starts.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK:
• In addition to the four transfers the Red Raiders brought in for 2025, Tech also signed six incoming freshman in goalkeeper Rylie Kuyper, (Madisonville, La.) forward Raleigh Greason (Arvada, Colo.), midfielder Emma Torres (Austin, Texas), forward Layney Molini (Owasso, Okla.), midfielder Kaydee Amorosa (Houston, Texas) and midfielder Gianna Gregoire (North Port, Fla.). Kruper, Greason and Torres all were mid-year (early) enrollees before the Spring semester, while Gregoire, Amorosa and Molini joined the Red Raiders prior to the start of summer practice in July.
UP NEXT:
Following the exhibition contest at Denver, the Red Raiders will open the season at San Diego State on Aug. 14. First touch from San Diego is set for 9 p.m. (CT)/7 p.m. (PDT).
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