Texas lost its first game of Big 12 Conference play this Thursday. Ranked No. 14 in the country, Texas played long-time rival No. 25 Texas Tech at home in Mike A. Myers Stadium.
In a highly anticipated matchup, the Longhorns fell short 2-1.
“I knew it was gonna be a battle; it always is with Texas Tech,” head coach Angela Kelly said.
The first half of the match was competitive, with several fouls in the first 10 minutes of the game. Texas Tech played aggressive defense, with most matchups being two Red Raiders on every Longhorn trying to move the ball forward.
After a game of back-to-back possession, Texas Tech scored first just 11 minutes into the half. Junior forward Ashleigh Williams had a shot in the top right corner of the goal off the assist of teammate and graduate student Alex Kerr.
The tension was high in the stadium as Texas trailed for the first time this season in Big 12 Conference play. Despite being behind one goal, Texas kept fighting and started to find some movement down the right side of the field, with junior midfielder Jilly Shimkin and junior forward Trinity Byars winning some one-on-one opportunities.
Struggling to connect and maintain possession for most of the first half, the Longhorns started to find some rhythm.
Byars, who was recently named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, the highest honor in college soccer, had a solo goal with less than eight minutes left in the half. With impressive footwork and speed, Byars dribbled the ball through the defense for a solo goal with a shot and goal off the left post.
“She’s (Trinity Byars) leading in points in the country. Her and Lexi are both, it’s not a surprise,” Kelly said about Byars’ goal that tied the first half.
The entertaining first half ended with a 1-1 draw.
Going into the second half, Texas played a lot of defense after Texas Tech came out of halftime with four shots in the first 15 minutes of the half. Texas found a lot of movement down the field but could not finish with shots on goal.
Texas Tech was aggressive and on the offensive for the first 15 minutes of the half.
As the game continued, several Texas players went down with cramps or injuries, and there were several substitutions in the second half. Starters Byars and Shimkin were among the few that came out in the second half.
Despite some of Texas’ star players not being in the game, the Longhorns still created several opportunities on goal. Junior midfielder Lexi Missimo made some chances for her teammates to find space to create crosses on goal.
With 10 minutes left in the half, Byars and Shimkin came back into the game. The Longhorns needed a game-winning opportunity, with Texas Tech inching closer to scoring a goal.
Off the bench with seven minutes left in the half, Missimo maintained possession and found Byars for a last-minute goal. The offside flag went up as the stadium celebrated, and Texas’ game-winning goal was called back.
Texas fouled with 10 seconds left on the clock, and a free kick was awarded to Texas Tech. With the clock ticking down second by second, redshirt sophomore Macy Blackburn stepped up to take the free kick. Blackburn’s ball into the box found graduate student Hannah Anderson who could tap the ball into the goal over Texas’ junior goalie Megan Hogate.
“It’s not a great way to end a match at home,” Kelly said about the loss.
Texas looks to redeem itself against No. 6 BYU on Sept. 25 at home.
