The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Rice
Soccer preview: NCAA First Round vs. Rice [Nov. 14, 2014]
11.13.2014 | Soccer
Texas returns to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2011 by hosting the Owls at 5 p.m. CT
Complete Texas NCAA Media Supplement
NCAA FIRST ROUND: Rice (14-3-3, 7-2-1 Conference USA) at Texas (10-7-4, 4-4-0 Big 12)
Time: Friday, Nov. 14 – 5 p.m. CT
Location: Austin, Texas (Mike A. Myers Stadium & Soccer Field)
Live Stats: GAMETRACKER
Television: The match will be broadcast live on Longhorn Network (accessible through WATCHESPN with certain cable providers) with Alex Loeb (play-by-play) and Monica Gonzalez (analyst) on the call. WATCHESPN SOCCER LINK
Radio: The match can be accessed for free via an internet audio stream at: http://texas.leanplayer.com/ - Lincoln Rose will call the action.
All-Time Series: Texas owns a 2-1 all-time lead in its series against Rice with both of its wins coming at home in the friendly confines of Mike A. Myers Stadium in 2002 (W, 7-0) & 2005 (W, 2-1). The Owls won 1-0 in the last official meeting between the two programs in Houston, Texas, back on Sept. 10, 2006. The two teams are familiar, having scrimmaged each other during a recent spring season.
Ticket Info: Tickets are available online at TexasSports.com/tickets or by calling 512-471-3333. Fans may also purchase tickets in person at the Bellmont Hall ticket office (Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.) or on match day at Mike A. Myers Stadium beginning one hour prior to the match.
TICKET PRICES
- Adult - Field Level: $13
- Youth/Senior - Field Level: $11
- Adult - Grandstands: $9
- Youth - Grandstands: $7
- Groups - Grandstands (20 or more people): $6, must purchase online or by calling 512-471-3333 by Friday, Nov. 14, at noon CT
**Fans are encouraged to purchase discounted parking permits online in advance for $3. By purchasing online, fans can reserve a parking space and receive their parking permit electronically via email. Online parking permits must be purchased by 10 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 13. Due to a previously scheduled campus event, parking purchased on match day will be $12 in the Manor Garage.
NCAA Free Kicks:
- Texas will be making its 11th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the first since the arrival of head coach Angela Kelly prior to the 2012 campaign. The Longhorns are 6-10-1 overall in all NCAA Tournament matches and 4-6 in opening round contests. UT has won three of its last five NCAA Tournament First Round contests (W - 2006, 2007, 2008), but has dropped its last two (L - 2010, 2011). This will mark the sixth NCAA Tournament contest Texas has hosted in Austin, Texas, and the first since hosting a third round match-up against Portland (lost 2-0) back in 2006. UT is 2-3 all-time in home NCAA Tournament match-ups.
- Texas picked up three votes in the latest Continental Tire/NSCAA Coaches Poll released on Tues., Nov. 11, the most since receiving three votes in the September 2nd rankings when in possession of a 2-0-2 overall record. UT also earned one vote in the Oct. 28 poll release.
- Fans at Friday's NCAA Tournament match will likely see a lot of set pieces as Rice and Texas rate as two of the top four corner kick-producing teams in NCAA Division I. The Owls enter the contest ranked second in the nation with 162 corners earned, while the Longhorns sit fourth with 145 corners.
- Texas ventures into its NCAA match against Rice very close to equaling a pair of program single-season shutout marks. As a team, the Horns boast nine shutouts, good for the third-most in a single campaign in program history and two from tying the 2008 team (11) for the top spot. Junior goalkeeper Abby Smith has tied a career-high with eight shutouts in 2014 and is one from tying Dianna Pfenninger (nine in 2008) for number one all-time in a single season at UT.
- Texas senior defenders Brooke Gilbert (90 min.), Julie Arnold (90 min.) and Whitney Jaynes (16 min.) are the only Longhorns to have played in Texas' last NCAA match back on Nov. 11, 2011 in Columbia, S.C. UT dropped a hard-fought 1-0 decision to No. 22 South Carolina that day as the Gamecocks scored just 6:25 in and got a shutout from Sabrina D'Angelo.
- So far this year, Texas is an impressive 10-2-2 in matches where it scores at least one goal, including five one-goal victories (at Hawaii - 2-1; vs. #6 Texas Tech - 1-0 OT; at Iowa State - 1-0; at Oklahoma - 1-0; at Baylor - 2-1). The only blemishes out of those 12 occurrences were a 2-2 tie against Arizona State (Aug. 22), a 3-1 loss at TCU (Oct. 17), a 2-1 loss to Oklahoma State (Oct. 31) and the 1-1 tie against #16 Texas Tech on Nov. 5.
