Soccer falls to No. 15 West Virginia, 2-1

Friday, October 4

Morgantown, W.Va.

6 p.m.

University of Texas

8-4-2 (2-1Big 12)

West Virginia

9-2-2 (3-0Big 12)

Team	1	2	Final F
Texas	0	1	1
West Virginia	1	1	2

10.04.2013 | Soccer

Box Score

Lindsey Meyer records her third goal of the season, Abby Smith tallies five saves in goal to lead Texas on Friday in Morgantown.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Texas Soccer team dropped a 2-1 decision to No. 15 West Virginia in Big 12 Conference play on Friday night at Dick Dlesk Stadium.

The Mountaineers led 2-0 early in the second half after a pair of goals from Frances Silva before Lindsey Meyer got the Longhorns on the board in the 50th minute, but Texas was unable to overcome the deficit and suffered its first conference loss of the season.

West Virginia's first goal came in the 16th minute. Ashley Lawrence sent a through-ball to Silva, who dribbled up the left side of the 18-yard box and put the ball on the ground past a diving Abby Smith into the right side of the net.

The Longhorns (8-4-1, 2-1-0 Big 12) recorded three shot attempts in the first half. Their best scoring opportunity came in the 23rd minute when sophomore Kelsey Shimmick beat her defender to the left of the 18-yard box and sent a straight-line shot that WVU keeper Sara Keane hauled in at the near post.

After Silva tacked on another for the Mountaineers just 31 seconds into the second half to put the Mountaineers up two, Texas halved the deficit courtesy of sophomore midfielder Meyer. The play was set up after Shimmick got taken down to the right of the box in the Longhorns' attacking third. Senior Gabby Zarnegar lined up to take the free kick and sent a ball toward the far post that found the head of the 6-foot Meyer, who put it in for her third goal of the season.

That would be as close as Texas would get, however, as it brought the game to its final tally. The Longhorns' other two shots in the second period came from freshmen Katie Gernsbacher and Marchelle Davis. In the 54th minute, Gernsbacher beat a defender on the right side of the box and launched the ball toward the near post where Keane was able to corral it, while Davis' shot in the 69th minute sailed wide.

Smith finished the match with a season-high five saves in goal for Texas while making several athletic plays in and around the box and taking many of the Longhorns' free kicks on the night. UT tallied six shots in the match, four of them on goal.

Texas' weekend on the road continues when the squad travels to Kansas to face the Jayhawks on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Lawrence. The game will be televised by Metro Sports and will also be available on ESPN3.

POSTGAME NOTES
Abby Smith's five saves were her most since she picked up five on Oct. 19, 2012, in a 2-1 loss at then No. 20 Baylor … Gabby Zarnegar recorded her third assist of the season and second in as many games on Lindsey Meyer's 50th-minute goal … sophomore Emilie Campbell earned her fourth start on defense for Texas this season, playing 61 minutes … freshman Marchelle Davis earned a season-high 68 minutes while sophomore Aaron Strawser saw a career-high 29.