With thirty seconds left on the clock in the second period of overtime, senior midfielder Julia Grosso played a pass to senior defender Cameron Brooks down the left side of the field. Brooks had enough space to take multiple dribbles without being bombarded by the defenders. 

Looking as if she was about to cross in a ball, Brooks sent a ball that sailed right over the keeper’s head, hitting the crossbar as the final whistle blew and the game ended.  

In front of over 700 fans at Mike A. Myers stadium, Texas drew against No. 10 TCU in a hard-fought game that featured quality opportunities from both teams. 

“I thought that was an absolute battle,” head coach Angela Kelly said. “Both teams were well organized and both teams created chances. As a fan, it’s a pretty exciting match to watch.” 

In the opening minutes of the match, Texas struggled to find their footing, allowing the Horned Frogs to play their fast-paced game.

Near the 10-minute mark, TCU freshman forward Camryn Lancaster used her speed to push Longhorn defenders back, creating enough space at the top of the box. Lancaster fired a powerful shot that hit the top of the crossbar and bounced into the goal as the Horned Frogs struck first 1-0.

Texas struggled to get any real scoring opportunities due to the defense of the Horned Frogs that would swarm them any time they got the ball. The Horns’ chances in the first half were limited to shots at goal that didn’t have enough power behind them.

Coming out of the locker room for the second period of play, Texas looked like a totally different team. Making the right adjustments and settling into the contest were keys to the change in play. 

Grosso worked her way down the left side of the field as she sent in a pass to freshman forward Trinity Byars at the top of the box. Byars dribbled her way to the left before sending a shot low and past the keeper, tying the game at 1-1. 

“Opening up the second half, I thought we did very well to get that goal in the first five minutes,” Kelly said. “That was everything we talked about.”

Byars now holds the school record for consecutive goals in program history, scoring in six straight matches, including eight goals in her last six games. 

Texas had opportunities throughout the game but didn’t have enough pace behind the ball to force any quality saves from the TCU goalkeeper. That wasn’t the case for the Horned Frogs, though.

Goalkeeper Savannah Madden came up big to keep Texas in the contest at the 33rd minute of the first half when a TCU forward raced at her down the right-hand side of the field. Madden stood her ground and made a great save as she deflected the shot away from goal, and then she went after the ball to collect it to stop them from taking any other chance.

“Savannah came up big, and that’s what you need when you have a big-time goalkeeper,” Kelly said. 

A big reason why Texas played with so much energy and didn’t let the game get away from them was because of a local supporter’s group in attendance.

“Thank you so much to the (La Murga de Austin band), they make such a great atmosphere,” Kelly said.

Texas has yet to drop a game in conference play this season as they hope to keep that streak alive this Sunday at home against Texas Tech.