Sunday’s crowd at Mike A. Myers Stadium might have gotten déjà vu if they watched Thursday’s game as Texas once again ambushed its opponent in the second half, defeating Kansas 2-0 in a physical battle.

In the 55th minute, sophomore forward Trinity Byars made a beautiful through pass to fifth year forward MacKenzie McFarland, leaving the ball on a silver platter for McFarland to drive home. The goal gave the Longhorns a one-goal advantage early in the second half after failing to make a dent in the score column in the opening frame.

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McFarland’s goal opened the door for Texas, because a little over two minutes later, another combination play from Byars and fifth year forward Cameron Brooks gave sophomore midfielder Jilly Shimkin a prime look at the net. Shimkin didn’t miss, giving the Longhorns much-needed breathing room in an intense game.

Injuries continued to plague the Longhorns despite the final score, as both Shimkin and Brooks went down for a period of time on Sunday. However, the Longhorns found pride in being gritty and pushing through adversity as the team inches closer to a potential Big 12 title.

“The cornerstone of (our team) is our culture,” Shimkin said. “I think we’re a really gritty group, and we’re willing to go through anything and grind through anything … I think that speaks to the results that we’ve gotten. We just want to keep this momentum going.”

Texas came out and showed its grit throughout the match, racking up 14 fouls over the course of 90 minutes on Sunday. Several yellow cards were given out by the referee to Kansas to try and keep the game from getting out of hand.

With a handful of players sustaining injuries thus far in the season, head coach Angela Kelly is looking for players like sophomore midfielder Ashlyn Miller to continue to step it up and contribute in the meantime.

“Miller’s totally stepped up … Jilly (Shimkin) and Emma Regan have just been fantastic as well,” Kelly said. “To get shut-outs, it takes an entire squad.”

Sunday’s game marked the Longhorns’ fourth straight shutout, having only given up one goal in the entirety of Big 12 Conference play. The high intensity and effort from players like fifth year defender Emma Regan and junior defender Lauren Lapomarda continually keep Texas’ opponents off-balance and make it extremely difficult to score.

“Our game is a game of momentum,” Kelly said. “Possession doesn’t always dictate where the momentum is… I thought the intensity was good.”

Texas won’t play again in Austin for a little over two weeks, spending the home stretch of Big 12 play on the road. The Longhorns will look to continue their success in conference on Thursday, taking on West Virginia in Morgantown, WV. 

“(The game) was tough,” Kelly said. “Got a little scrappy out there, (but we’re) just happy to get the win, get the result.”