Texas soccer began its season with a bang Thursday, beating Lipscomb 5-0 in its first official game of the new season. The offense clicked on all cylinders, prodding a patient Lipscomb defense all game.

Texas’ starting lineup featured several upperclassmen Thursday, with five of the starting 11 lettering for four years. While the team’s leaders are young stars in sophomore midfielder Lexi Missimo and sophomore forward Trinity Byars, the Longhorns have a wealth of experience throughout the lineup that helped keep the attack structured while also allowing the team’s young stars to shine.

In the first half, the Longhorns thrived off of set pieces against Lipscomb. Texas scored its first goal on a corner kick headed in by sophomore Emily Jane Cox in the sixth minute and its second goal off of an awkward exchange at the goal in the 26th minute.

“It’s very hard to score on set pieces, and we’ve only been in training for two and a half weeks.  … In this last week, we definitely did put an emphasis on the sets,” head coach Angela Kelly said. “We wanted to score quick and often, and I’m really pleased.”

Lipscomb had its chances in the first half, mounting a strong attack on goal in the waning minutes. Despite the advance, Texas’ backline held strong, blocking a free kick from just outside of the box to avoid a potential goal.

In the second half, sophomore transfer midfielder Jilly Shimkin scored her first goal as a Longhorn, launching a rocket into the bottom right corner of the goal in the 51st minute, and assisted on another goal from Missimo in the 67th minute. 

Shimkin started her career at Penn State, coming out of high school as the No. 7 overall recruit in the 2021 Top Drawer Soccer IMG Academy rankings. Shimkin is a three-time state champion in New York and is a world champion in Futsal, making her an exciting addition to the team.

“Fantastic,” Kelly said about how Shimkin has fit into the team. “I feel like Jilly Shimkin has been here for five years already. … Jilly’s definitely a piece to our puzzle that completes a lot of the things we do.”

Despite the healthy scoreline, Texas’ offense was missing one of its star players in Byars, who was in Costa Rica this week playing for the U.S. national team in the U-20 Women’s World Cup. The U.S. was knocked out of the tournament Wednesday, losing 3-1 to Japan, leaving Byars little time to travel back to Austin in time for the season opener against Lipscomb.

“We haven’t played with Trinity Byars or Holly Ward since the spring,” Kelly said. “We definitely have been following them … but equally, (we are) very, very excited to have them back on our squad.”

The Longhorns will play North Carolina at home next Thursday, the first real test of the season for the team.