The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
9-0-0, 1-0-0Big 12
Iowa State
2-7-1, 0-1-0Big 12
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa State | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Texas | 0 | 1 | 1 |
No. 17 Soccer stretches win streak to nine with 1-0 win over Iowa State
09.22.2017 | Soccer
Freshman midfielder Haley Berg scored her third goal of the season (50’) to lead UT in its Big 12 opener
AUSTIN, Texas – On Friday night at Mike A. Myers Stadium, freshman midfielder Haley Berg scored her third goal of the season as No. 17 Texas soccer (9-0-0, 1-0-0 Big 12 Conference) continued its unblemished run to open 2017 and successfully christened its league campaign in the process with a 1-0 victory over Iowa State (2-7-1, 0-1-0 Big 12 Conference).
The Longhorns remain the only unbeaten & untied team left in NCAA Division I women's soccer, while their 9-0 record extends the best start in program history.
The nine-match winning streak marks the longest such skein for the Burnt Orange & White since Texas won nine consecutive matches over a stretch from Oct. 6-Nov. 3, 2006. UT also improved to a perfect 7-0 in one-goal decisions in 2017, just a year after going 2-8 in such contests.
For the match, UT out-shot the Cyclones by an 18-11 count, including 9-3 in shots on goal, while managing an 11-4 advantage on corner kicks.
Berg's 50th-minute goal was the third of the season for the Celina, Texas, native and goes down as her second career match-winning score after previously knocking home a 53rd minute tally to beat Little Rock back on Aug. 25, 2-1. Texas sophomore goalkeeper Nicole Curry registered her sixth clean sheet of the season, on three saves, moving into a tie for 10th in single-season shutouts in program history alongside Abby Smith (2015) and Cami Varnadore (1998, 1999).
The first shot of the match went Iowa State's way during the second minute as midfielder Brooke Tasker received a feed just outside the top of the 18-yard box and fired a shot well wide right.
The Longhorns answered right back at 4:36 as junior midfielder Katie Glenn tried her luck from 26 yards out, but her line-drive effort traveled straight into the waiting arms of ISU keeper Antonia Reyes.
During the eighth minute, the Cyclones had a great early opportunity as dangerous forward Klasey Medelberg dribbled in towards the right post. Marked tightly by sophomore defender Atu Mshana, Medelberg fired a shot from a sharp angle that proved wide right from 10 yards.
Texas nearly jumped to the lead in the 10th minute as a cross from the left wing by junior forward Alexa Adams landed just a couple of feet too far in front of on-rushing Glenn to get off a sliding shot.
Perhaps the most dangerous chance for either team during the opening half came for Iowa State at 27:05. In possession of the ball near the left end line, a cross into the middle of the 18 found Tasker in some space. Unfortunately for the midfielder, her quick shot from 13 yards was mis-hit and went well over the cross bar.
Both Texas junior midfielder Amber Stearns and redshirt freshman forward Cydney Billups forced Reyes into action at 32:04 and 35:29, respectively, as the Longhorns upped their offensive pressure as the half wore on.
Over the last 3:08 of the stanza, Texas got a trio of blocked shots from sophomore defender Emma Jett, Stearns and Glenn, but couldn't find pay dirt as the teams went to the break scoreless.
Out of the locker room, each squad managed a scoring chance, but it was the Longhorns that nabbed the lead off a corner at 49:14.
Off the set piece, Jett played a ball to Berg, who quickly beat her marker on the right side. Moving left into the middle of the 18, she fired a left-footed effort from 14 yards out that located the upper 90 over the out-stretched hands of a leaping Reyes to make it 1-0.
It appeared that the Longhorns had secured a second at 57:43 after a corner was played to the back post. Waiting there was junior midfielder Kayra Dollas, and the Orange, Calif., native drove a header off the turf and into a crowd near the left post. Somehow in the chaos, Reyes managed to corral the bouncing ball over her right shoulder before it could finish crossing the goal line as ISU remained within a single score.
Immediately back at the other end, the Cyclones came within inches of tying things up as a shot by midfielder Emily Steil hit the crossbar, bounced down off UT sophomore keeper Nicole Curry's hand and off the right post before being cleared away.
Just 2:58 later, Iowa State midfielder Taylor Wagner launched an effort from deep out on the right wing. Curry managed to pop the shot straight up in front of the cross bar before making a catch to end the threat.
The Cyclones again came close to an equalizer at 63:27 as Steil drove a free kick from 22 yards out perhaps a foot over the upper right corner.
Texas settled back down over the next 10 minutes before Curry was forced to make another big play. Off Iowa State's second corner during the 74th minute, the Dallas, Texas, native battled a crowd in front of goal to make a leaping catch and prevent any scoring chances.
Sophomore forward Cyera Hintzen nearly picked up another UT goal at the 74:49 mark as her quick turn and shot from the middle of the 18 was batted away by Reyes. The rebound out front was quickly scooped up by Billups and rattled off the right post, but the official along the sideline raised his flag for offside.
With the Burnt Orange & White attempting to burn the last few minutes off the clock, the Cyclones refused to go quietly.
In the 87th minute, ISU looked to have a 2-on-1 break going, but Mshana raced back to break up the play before any shot could be taken.
Over the final 56 seconds of play, the Cyclones managed two nerve-racking corner kicks. On the last set piece, with 18 ticks remaining on the clock, the ball was delivered perfectly into the left edge of the 18. Medelberg was waiting to try her luck from eight yards out, but Curry managed her third and final stop of the night to preserve the victory.
Texas Post-Match Quotes
Head Coach Angela Kelly
Team performance: First of all, credit to Iowa State. They were very well organized and very hard to break down. We had a very special effort by freshman Haley Berg, a fantastic effort. She is a very special player. She and Cyera [Hintzen] were drawing two and three people in the first half. I just told both of them, they are going to have to get used to that in their career. That is a credit to them, but they can use it to their advantage to open up their teammates. They can also figure out tactical ways to solve that. We, as a group, did a good job to create opportunities for both of them and our whole group in the second half. I feel like we had a pretty good piece of the ball in our movements, offensive shape and seat of play. We are still really young, so we are going to show them some details on closing out a match, but just credit the squad for the match.
Starting Big 12 play with a win: We go in into every game, and you have heard this from me since the very beginning of the season, looking at our next game as being the most important. Our expectation is to win every match. I think that speaks more to the quality of our conference. On any given day, from top to bottom our conference is one of the best in the country. It will be a battle every single time.
On #5 West Virginia coming up Sunday: They have a tradition of winning. Their head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown has been there for two decades. She has built a wonderful tradition. I have respect for her and her staff. They also work incredibly hard, and they have a blue-collar mentality. They understand the game and are very well coached. It is a rich tradition that Nikki's built.
Player Quotes
On first Big 12 opening win since 2014:
Sophomore defender Emma Jett: Every win is a big thing, and it's always nice to start off with a clean slate with the Big 12, considering we didn't do too well last year and every game is redemption for us. We're just focusing on one game at a time and taking it day-by-day.
On the game meaning more because of Big 12 play:
Jett: We prepare for every game the same. Obviously, it's in our minds that it's Big 12, and we're trying to keep a clean sheet.
On their defense:
Jett: Obviously, we always want to have a shutout. We had some things that we need to clean up. Tomorrow we'll be working on that and just getting ready for Sunday.
On alternating corner kick methods:
Jett: We have a few plays that we go through, but sometimes Coach Ange calls them and sometimes it's us [the players]. Sometimes we'll play it shorter if it's something to do with the wind, but really we just like to switch it up and keep teams on their toes.
On her game-winning goal:
Freshman midfielder Haley Berg: It was off a corner kick. I gave it back to Emma, and I pulled out. I was waiting for her to cross it, but then the other player went toward Emma, so she just gave me an easy ball. I was able to cut inside and just shot it. I don't even know how it went in.
On having confidence in her non-dominant foot:
Berg: I feel like as a soccer player, no matter what position you are, you practice with both feet. You can be in any situation and you have to be able to use both feet to do anything. I'm not confident with the left foot. I just figured that it was going to either deflect off, and someone else was going to score, or it was going to hopefully go in.
Team Stats
Berg, Haley (3)
worked her way through the middle, 14 ya
49:14
