The Longhorns didn’t miss a beat on Sunday, defeating Kansas State 4-0 in an impressive opening performance in the Big 12 Soccer Championship at the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex. 

Texas, much like in its last game against Kansas State, took advantage of early momentum and converted it into three early goals, placing the Longhorns in full control of the game in the first half. 

“One goal wasn’t ever going to (win) this game,” head coach Angela Kelly said. “We needed to take as much momentum out of the game as we possibly could.”

The turning point of Sunday’s game came in the 25th minute. Texas was called offsides for the second time, and the Wildcats’ defense was holding strong despite constant pressure from the Longhorns. After a hotly contested scrap around the goal, sophomore defender Emily Jane Cox found sophomore forward Holly Ward for an early breakthrough, sparking the ensuing onslaught from Texas.

Graduate senior goalkeeper Savannah Madden did her part in keeping the momentum that Texas’ offense built, making several saves to keep the Longhorns firmly in the lead. 

In the 44th minute, Madden leapt up and poked a well-placed shot by Kansas State just over the crossbar, preventing the Wildcats from sneaking a goal in to end the first half. Similarly, in the 52nd minute, Madden stopped a lightning-fast attack by Kansas State to open the second half, diving to her right and preventing the score. Her relentless playstyle frustrated the Wildcats all day, resulting in a clean sheet for Madden.

“We weren’t going to let K-State take over the game,” Madden said. “We (planned to) put them under from the start, and I feel like that’s what we did. (We) came out, and we won.”

Things got a bit scary for Texas later on, though. With a 3-0 lead in the 65th minute, sophomore forward Trinity Byars received a yellow card for unsporting after getting tangled up with a Kansas State defender while attacking in the box. Despite another foul potentially ruling her out for Thursday’s game, Byars stayed locked in and attacked again in the 69th minute, sending home her 16th goal of the season and making it 4-0.

“I wanted her to score,” Kelly said. “She’s so prolific … I thought that (call) was a little bit soft, she was just trying to challenge and I think there was 20 minutes left … I’m thankful she scored in the next few minutes, because my plan was to protect her (for Thursday’s game).”

Texas’ goal coming into Sunday’s game was to show that its Big 12 regular season championship was well-earned, and the Longhorns’ 4-0 victory left little doubt that they are serious contenders for the Big 12 Soccer Championship title. The Longhorns will look to repeat their performance Thursday, taking on West Virginia.

“We want to prove that winning the Big 12 regular conference (title) wasn’t a fluke,” Madden said. “We want to get a second ring, we want to prove to everybody that we are the outright winners, and we’re going to continue to dominate every game that we play in.”