The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Friday, November 10
Austin, Texas
5 p.m.
University of Texas
vs
North Texas
No. 18 Soccer preview: NCAA First Round vs. North Texas [Nov. 10, 2017]
11.09.2017 | Soccer
The Longhorns begin their NCAA Tournament run at Mike A. Myers Stadium against the Mean Green
Texas NCAA First Round Media Supplement
Soccer Match 19: NCAA TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND
North Texas (14-3-4, 7-1-2 Conference USA) at No. 18 Texas (13-3-2, 5-2-2 Big 12)
Schedule:
Fri., Nov. 10 North Texas at #4-seed TEXAS 5 p.m. CT – Longhorn Network
Location: Austin, Texas (Mike A. Myers Soccer Stadium)
Tickets: LINK
Bracket: LINK
Television: Friday's match will be broadcast on Longhorn Network with Glenn Davis (play-by-play) and Kate Markgraf (analyst) on the call.
Free Kicks:
- Texas, a No. 4 national seed, is making the program's 12th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the first since losing 2-1 to No. 12 Notre Dame in NCAA Second Round action back on Nov. 21, 2014. UT is 5-6-0 all-time in NCAA First Round matches, having beaten Rice at Mike A. Myers Stadium during the opener of its last visit to the tourney in 2014 by a score of 3-0.
- Friday's contest against Conference USA Tournament champion North Texas will serve as a rematch of a previous meeting between the two programs back on Aug. 27 of this year as the Longhorns traveled to Denton, Texas, and knocked off UNT, 1-0, on the strength of sophomore forward Cyera Hintzen's goal at the 81:48 mark. UT now owns a 4-1-0 all-time series advantage (4-0 in Austin) over the Mean Green and has won the last four meetings.
- Overtime has become the norm over the latter half of the season as Texas has ventured to at least one extra session during nine of its last 12 overall matches dating back to Sept. 10. In all, Longhorns players have been on the pitch for 94:20 of overtime action this season. That's more than an entire additional regulation match.
- Texas' current team goals-against-average of 0.63 rates just ahead of the program record of 0.64 established back during 2008 when that Longhorns squad allowed just 14 total goals all season (21 matches) with a school record 11 shutouts. UT has allowed 12 goals and posted 10 shutouts over 18 matches during 2017.
- Texas is an incredibly young team with just two seniors (that pair has combined to play in two matches in 2017) and a total of 18 freshmen or sophomores on the roster. Those freshmen and sophomores have combined for 16 of Texas' 25 total goals, 18 of 26 total assists and all 13 wins & 10 shutouts in goal (sophomore goalkeeper Nicole Curry).
- The Longhorns have already played overtime on nine occasions (5-2-2) this season, marking the most OT sessions in a single year in program history. Texas' five overtime victories are also tied for the most (2004 Longhorns) in a single season in program annals.
- Texas sophomore goalkeeper Nicole Curry is currently tied for the lead in the Big 12 Conference in shutouts with 10 over her first 18 career matches played and rates fourth in the league in goals-against-average at 0.63, just 0.07 behind the leader. Curry has also leapt up the Texas single-season top 10 for clean sheets, breaking the old school record for single-season shutouts (nine) previously held by Longhorns Abby Smith (2014) and Dianna Pfenninger (2008).
- After struggling in close matches during the 2016 season (just 2-8 overall in one-goal contests and 0-3-1 in OT), Texas has gotten off to a roaring start in such match-ups in 2017. So far through 18 contests, the Longhorns are a sparkling 11-3 in one-goal decisions with victories over Rice, Little Rock, North Texas, Sacramento State, Northeastern, UTRGV, Iowa State, No. 5 West Virginia, Texas Tech, Kansas State and Baylor.
- Texas' offense has managed to register more shots on goal than its opponent in 13 OF 18 MATCHES so far in 2017. UT leads in the category, 123-77, for an average margin of 6.8-4.3 shots on goal-per-match.
- Fans and opponents better watch out for Texas' dynamic duo of sophomore forward Cyera Hintzen and freshman midfielder Haley Berg. The duo has combined to score 12 of Texas' 25 goals, registered eight of 26 total assists and managed 32 of the Longhorns' 76 total points (42%) this season.
- The Longhorns defense has been stout throughout the 2017 campaign, but Texas managed a ridiculous streak in the middle of Big 12 play, keeping the opposition from registering a single shot on goal over a stretch of 194:37 that included portions of matches against Texas Tech, Oklahoma and TCU.
- Texas won 25% (7-of-28) of the Big 12 weekly awards handed out over the 10 weeks of the 2017 soccer season. UT won four consecutive Offensive Player of the Week awards (Sept. 12-Oct. 3) for the first time in program history, while the seven total honors were the most in a single season in program history. Sophomore forward Cyera Hintzen owned three Offensive Player of the Week accolades and freshman midfielder Haley Berg won two Freshman of the Week honors, while junior midfielder Katie Glenn (Offensive) and sophomore goalkeeper Nicole Curry (Defensive POW) earned one each.
- Texas' 3-2 (OT) win over Northeastern (Sept. 10) was noteworthy in that it marked the first time the Longhorns had allowed at least two goals in a match and won since beating Dayton back on Aug. 17, 2012, 3-2 (OT). That covered a stretch of 105 total matches between the occurrences, and UT had been 0-25-2 when allowing two or more goals over that span. With a 3-2 (2OT) victory over Texas Tech (Sept. 29), Texas turned the trick twice in just five matches in 2017!
- For the Longhorns, scoring the match's first goal seems to be a key to victory in 2017 as the Longhorns are 11-2-1 when putting the initial score on the board and 4-1-1 when leading at the halftime break.
- Texas has had plenty of heroines to start the season as five different Longhorns (Cyera Hintzen, Haley Berg, Katie Glenn, Amber Stearns and Cydney Billups) have all registered match-winning goals over the opening 18 contests of 2017. During the ENTIRE 2016 campaign, only four different players managed match-winning tallies.
- Texas' defense is particularly stingy, having allowed more than two goals in a single match ONLY TWICE OVER THE LONGHORNS' LAST 105 MATCHES (both occurrences happened at TCU on Oct. 17, 2014 & Oct. 28, 2016) and only once over the last 60 matches. In fact, an opponent has scored more than two goals in a contest only five times since head coach Angela Kelly took over the program (three times during her first season on the Forty Acres in 2012).
- With her goal just 25 seconds into the season-opening, 2-1 victory over Rice (Aug. 18), freshman midfielder Haley Berg became the first Longhorns player to score in her first collegiate match since now senior forward Olivia Brook knocked home a goal during the 44th minute of her debut in a 2-2 (2OT) tie versus Arizona State back on Aug. 22, 2014.
- Dorothy once said there's no place like home. The Texas soccer squad takes that line from "The Wizard of Oz" to heart as in five-plus seasons under coach Angela Kelly, the Longhorns have posted a 39-18-7 (.664) record in the friendly confines of Myers Stadium and are 34-13-6 (.698) over the last 53 home matches. Texas owns an all-time home record of 136-44-20 (.734) in now the 19th year (1999-present) at Mike A. Myers Stadium and Soccer Field. In the 20+-year history of Texas Soccer, the Horns have registered an overall record of 158-56-22 (.719) in all home games.
