Sophomore forward Amalia Villarreal made Texas soccer history on Friday, scoring a penalty goal with 10 seconds left in the game to stun No. 13 Vanderbilt 2-1.
The winning goal from Villarreal was the latest goal ever scored by the Texas soccer team.
“It’s a crazy game, and it can be a cruel game at times, the highs and lows and that much elation,” Texas head coach Angela Kelly said.
Villarreal’s penalty came after 42 seconds of anarchy, when graduate Vanderbilt goalie Sara Wojdelko fouled freshman forward Ava McDonald outside the box, picking up a red card.
Vanderbilt had to finish the remaining 44 seconds with only 10 players, giving Texas an opportunity to pounce. The Longhorns had one last opportunity to score on a late corner kick, but freshman midfielder Sadie Hoch missed a free header in the box, meaning the game was almost certainly ending in a draw.
Or so they thought.
With the seconds winding down, the referee blew her whistle for a review. On the screen, she saw that Hoch was kicked in the face while heading the ball. That image gave her no choice but to point to the spot, penalty Texas.
Even after her penalty miss last week, there was only ever one person who was going to step up and take the high-pressure penalty. As Villarreal stepped up to take the penalty, the tension in Mike A. Myers Stadium increased as the 1,370 fans in attendance rose to their feet, waiting in anticipation for a potential historic moment.
“There wasn’t another player I would have chosen to be in that position,” Kelly said.
And for good reason — Villarreal calmly rolled the ball into the bottom corner to win the game for Texas at the death.
“My heart started beating really fast, and then everything got quiet,” Villarreal said. “Thankfully, all went well.”
The penalty was her second goal of the game, her first being an absolute rocket from distance to put Texas up 1-0 earlier in the second half. After the game, Kelly labeled the goal as “world-class.”
Friday’s brace for Villarreal comes after a stretch of frustrating performances, where she struggled to get involved in the game. Kelly told reporters after the game that it’s the result of opposing teams keying in on her.
“People don’t want her to have the ball,” Kelly said.
The Commodores saw why tonight. Before this game, they had only conceded four goals on the season, meaning a third of the goals scored against Vanderbilt this season have come from the feet of the Longhorns’ #44.
Friday night’s victory marked the first conference win of the season for Texas. The Longhorns’ struggles this year have been well documented, but perhaps a win like this can be the turning point of a season that seemed to be lost.
“We didn’t gel as quickly as we had hoped, but we knew we had that trust, and we built that with each other, knowing that we were going to be able to have nights like this,” Villarreal said. “We will continue to carry that going forward.”
