Texas Women Dig Deep Topping Missouri

The Texas Longhorn women’s soccer team struggled in their first half against the Missouri Tigers.  But they showed grit and determination in the second half to defeat the Tigers 3-1 in the final home match of the season. 

Texas trailed for most of the first half following Missouri’s Kegan Good’s goal in the 10th minute of play.  The Tigers controlled the ball and the pace of the match for the remainder of the half.  The Longhorns wore long faces as they headed to the locker room at the half. 

Whatever Texas head coach Angela Kelly said during the break should have been recorded, because an entirely different team returned to the pitch for the second half. 

It took Texas’ Lexi Missimo less than two minutes on the pitch to tie the match.  Jilly Shimkin gave Texas the lead less than 20 minutes later, and Amalia Villarreal iced the game with her 7th goal of her freshman season 20 minutes after that. 

The Longhorn Holly Ward was in excellent form throughout the match, consistently contesting the Tigers, and assisting on Missimo’s and Shimkin’s goal. 

Texas’ goalkeeper Mia Justus had another solid performance between the posts, facing-down 16 shots and six corner.  Justus also assisted Villarreal on their score. 

Texas’ win marked Kelly’s first-ever win against the Tigers, and was the Longhorns’ 60th all-time victory against current members of the SEC.  The match was also the first time Texas has ever scored multiple second-half goals during a SEC contest. 

Reflecting on come-from-behind win, Kelly said “(The seniors) really stepped up during the second half tonight. They, along with everyone else, played much better after halftime and that was critical to win tonight’s contest. I’m really-proud of them. Words can’t even describe how much they’ve meant to this program.”