Men's golf
The No. 4 men’s golf team finished in sixth place after three rounds of competition in the season opening OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational on Sunday.
After finishing 28 over par as a team Friday, Texas overcame its tough first round, battling back and finishing with a final score total of 892 (308-288-296).
“I am happy that we followed a very rough first round with two solid rounds,” head coach John Fields said. “We have a lot of respect for Olympia Fields and our new freshmen are now acquainted with the demands of collegiate golf.”
Sophomore Gavin Hall (76-70-71) led the Longhorns, tying for eighth place overall individually. Freshmen Doug Ghim, Scottie Scheffler and Taylor Funk finished their first collegiate tournament 23rd, 42nd and 57th, respectively.
“This was an education this week for players and coaches alike,” Fields said. “We will be better next time out. I was thrilled with Gavin Hall’s top-10 finish. He was a solid player for us.”
The Longhorns resume competition at the Nike Golf Collegiate Invitational at Colonial Country Club from October 5-7 in Fort Worth.
Men's tennis
Men’s tennis began individual competition this weekend at the Racquet Club Collegiate Invitational in Midland.
Senior Jacoby Lewis, junior Michael Riechmann, redshirt freshman William Jou and freshman John Mee competed over the weekend in the Racquet Club Collegiate Invitational, which was continuously altered due to rainy weather.
Only 14 of the 126 scheduled matches were completed Friday. To get back on schedule, singles players played eight-game pro sets while doubles players played six-game sets. On Friday, Mee won his first collegiate match against Rice sophomore Zach Yablon (6-4, 6-3), and Lewis lost to New Mexico freshman Bart Van Leijsen (6-3, 6-4).
Lewis bounced back in consolation play with an 8-5 win over Rice senior Srikar Alla before falling to UT-Arlington sophomore Mario Muniesa 8-5.
Riechmann, who transferred from Brown, also landed in the consolation bracket after an 8-1 round of 16 upset against Wichita State senior Tomislav Gregurovic. He responded with a solid 8-2 win over Texas A&M sophomore Max Lunkin and a tight 8-5 win over Lamar sophomore Michael Feucht. Jou opened his singles play with an 8-5 victory over Texas Tech freshman Hunter Holman, but fell 8-5 in the second round to Henry Adams, Abilene Christian University freshman.
In doubles play, the Longhorns started strong before falling in the quarterfinals. Riechmann and Jou, who received a bye as the top seed, defeated the Wichita State duo of freshman Miroslav Herzan and sophomore Jocelyn Devilliers 6-4, but lost 6-2 to the tandem of sophomores Frankie Colunga and Lunkin of Texas A&M. Lewis and Mee defeated Rice’s duo of sophomore Henrik Munch and junior Gustavo Gonzalez in a 7-6 thriller before losing to the duo of senior James Hignett and Leijsen of New Mexico, 6-4.
The invitational was cancelled because of foul weather before a winner in singles or doubles was declared. The Longhorns will begin play again at the Cajun Tennis Classic on Thursday in Lafayette, Louisiana.
Women's soccer
The undefeated Longhorns rode a wave of confidence into Tampa, Florida, for the USF Soccer Classic on Friday. However, a lightning-delayed bout against Central Florida and a bruising contest against South Florida made for a rough weekend at the beach, leaving Texas with its first two losses of the season.
Missed opportunities defined Friday’s 2-0 loss at the hands of Central Florida. Despite 10 shots from Central Florida in the first half, both teams entered the break knotted up at 0-0.
The Knights responded with a goal less than three minutes after the break and added another after an hour and 45-minute lightning delay. In the second half, Texas launched 10 shots to Central Florida’s five, but none hit the back of the net.
South Florida doled out another 2-0 loss to the Longhorns on Sunday morning. By the time the final whistle blew, the refs had called 20 fouls and handed out three
yellow cards.
The Bulls started the scoring in the 32nd minute after a collision momentarily pushed Texas junior keeper Abby Smith out of the goal and led to an easy point for the Bulls. A South Florida penalty kick midway through the second half sealed Texas’ loss.
The Longhorns look to bounce back after a disappointing weekend when they face No. 1 UCLA, the defending national champion, at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Austin.
