Soccer preview: at TCU [Oct. 28, 2016]

Texas Game Notes at TCU

Regular Season Match #18: Texas (8-8-1, 1-5-1 Big 12) at TCU (9-5-2, 1-5-1 Big 12)

Time: at TCU – Fri., Oct. 28 – 7 p.m. CT

Location: Fort Worth, Texas (Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium)

Tickets: LINK

Live Stats: LINK

Television: The match will be web streamed online through GoFrogs.com for a subscription fee.

Radio: None available

Free Kicks:

The scenario for Texas and earning a place in the annual Big 12 Championship in Kansas City over Nov. 2-6 is very simple - beat TCU and the Longhorns earn the No. 7 seed to face either Kansas or Oklahoma in the Big 12 quarterfinals. If UT (four points) and TCU (four points) were to tie, Texas would potentially earn the No. 7 seed in the draw because of a better goal differential counting Big 12 games only this season (TCU is -8, Texas is -4). The only issue in the tie scenario would depend on what Texas Tech (three points) does against Oklahoma on Friday. If the Red Raiders were to beat the Sooners, they would end the season with six points and would bump the Horns down to the No. 8 seed to face No. 1 West Virginia in the Big 12 quarterfinals.
Texas and TCU will be facing off for the 13th time in program history on Friday night in Fort Worth with the Longhorns holding an 8-3-1 edge in the series. UT has won two of the last three meetings, but is just 3-2-0 against the Horned Frogs on the road and lost during its last visit to the Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium on Oct. 17, 2014, 3-1. The three goals allowed in that defeat marked the last time the Texas soccer program allowed more than two goals in a single match, 43 contests ago.
A first half lead has been very important as far as positive results go this season for Texas soccer. The Longhorns enter Friday's match at TCU with a stellar 8-2 mark when leading after the first 45 minutes of play. On the flip side of things, UT is 0-6-1 overall when tied or trailing following the opening stanza.
The youth movement for Texas soccer is definitely underway as freshmen and sophomores have made a tremendous impact on the pitch for the Horns in 2016. In all, those two classes have combined to total 15 of UT's 26 goals (58%), 11 of the 20 assists (55%) and 41 of 72 total points (57%). Freshman and sophomore players have also accounted for 92 total starts this season out of a possible 187 available starting nods (49%).
Whichever team scores two goals usually wins matches between Texas and its opponents in 2016. UT is a perfect 7-0-0 when scoring two or more times this season and 0-4-0 when allowing two or more goals.
The difference between home and road offensive effectiveness this season for Texas is fairly striking. UT's offense is averaging 1.8 goals and 17.1 shots-per-match at home this season, while totaling just 1.0 goals and 13.4 shots-per-match on the road. Conversely, the Longhorns defense is allowing just 0.8 goals and 10.3 shots-per-match at home while giving up 1.4 goals and 15.2 shots-per-match on the road.
The injury bug continues to strike the Texas soccer program at a truly alarming rate in 2016. Already playing without last season's second leading scorer, as redshirt sophomore forward Mikayla Flores suffered an ACL tear in her left knee just 22 minutes into the season-opener against Seattle, the Longhorns also lost UT's 2015 & 2016 leading scorer in sophomore forward Alexa Adams for the rest of the 2016 campaign. The Lancaster, Calif., native went down 42 minutes into the 2-1 (2OT) loss to Oklahoma State on Sept. 30 with an ACL tear in her left knee. Among other players to miss significant time because of nagging injuries this season are Monique Iannella, Morgan Murphy, Nakia Graham, Cyera Hintzen and Kayra Dollas, all extremely valuable contributors who have registered either goals or assists in 2016.

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Players Mentioned

Alexa Adams

Kayra Dollas

Mikayla Flores

Nakia Graham

Cyera Hintzen

Monique Iannella

Morgan Murphy

The University of Texas at Austin Athletics