The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Sunday, September 24
Austin, Texas
1 p.m.
University of Texas
vs
#5 West Virginia
No. 17 Soccer preview: vs. No. 5 West Virginia [Sept. 24, 2017]
09.23.2017 | Soccer
The Longhorns welcome in last year's NCAA national runner-up for a huge early-season Big 12 battle
Texas Game Notes vs. #5 West Virginia
Soccer Match 10: No. 5 West Virginia (8-2-0, 1-0-0 Big 12) at No. 17 Texas (9-0-0, 1-0-0 Big 12)
Time: Sunday, Sept. 24 – 1 p.m. CT
Location: Austin, Texas (Mike A. Myers Stadium & Soccer Field)
TEXAS CLEAR BAG POLICY: Please note that there is a new Clear Bag Policy in effect for fans when attending Texas Athletic events in 2017. For more details, please visit this LINK
Tickets: LINK
Promotions: The first 100 fans through the gates will receive a free pair of UT branded argyle socks, courtesy of Texas Athletics.
Live Stats: LINK
Television: The match will be broadcast live on Longhorn Network (accessible through WATCHESPN with certain cable providers) with Glenn Davis (play-by-play) and Kate Markgraf (analyst) on the call. Fans can watch via this LINK.
Radio: None available
Free Kicks:
- Texas enters Sunday's match with a 1-5-1 all-time mark against West Virginia, including a 1-3-0 record in Austin. Since winning the first meeting against the Mountaineers back on Nov. 14, 2004, the Longhorns have dropped five straight (all in Big 12 play), getting out-scored by a combined, 8-1. The last time UT scored against WVU was in 2013 as former UT midfielder Lindsey Meyer tallied in the 50th minute of a 2-1 defeat.
- Having allowed just four goals thus far, UT's 2017 defense is currently tied with the 2008 Texas squad for the fewest goals allowed over the opening nine matches in a season in program history. The 2008 team went on to permit two scores in its 10th match of the year during a 2-1 loss at Nebraska.
- The Longhorns enter the match-up against WVU having recorded two consecutive shutouts while holding opponents scoreless over the last 227:16 of match action. This is the second lengthy shutout streak for the Horns this season after going 362:47 without allowing a goal from Aug. 25-Sept. 10.
- Texas sophomore goalkeeper Nicole Curry is currently tied with WVU's Rylee Foster for first in the Big 12 Conference in shutouts with six over her first nine career matches played and rates third in the league in goals-against-average at 0.44. Curry has now also entered the Texas single-season top 10 for clean sheets, tying former Longhorns Abby Smith (2015) and Cami Varnadore (1998 & 1999) for 10th.
- UT's current nine-match winning streak ties for the second-longest in program history (2006, 2002) and is the longest for a Longhorns team since winning nine straight matches from Oct. 6-Nov. 3, 2006. The program record for winning streak is 11 matches from Sept. 21-Oct. 28, 2001.
- 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 nine contests, the Longhorns are a perfect 7-0 in one-goal decisions with victories over Rice, Little Rock, North Texas, Sacramento State, Northeastern, UTRGV and Iowa State.
- Texas' current team goals-against-average of 0.44 rates well 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.
- Texas' offense has managed to register more shots on goal than its opponent in ALL NINE MATCHES so far in 2017. UT leads in the category, 68-22, for an average margin of 7.6-2.4 shots on goal-per-match.
- Sophomore forward Cyera Hintzen made it two consecutive weeks with a league award winner as the Garland, Texas, native earned her first career nod as the Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 19). Hintzen was honored for scoring her first career "golden goal" (and Big 12-leading third match-winning goal of the season) at 97:13 to down UTRGV, 1-0 (OT).
- The Longhorns climbed in three of the four major rankings this week, coming in at No. 17 in the United Soccer Coaches, No. 21 in Soccer America, No. 22 in Top Drawer Soccer and No. 20 (down four slots) in the HERO Sports power poll (tops in the Big 12 Conference).
- 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.
- UT's consecutive overtime winning "golden goals" to beat Northeastern (redshirt freshman forward Cydney Billups) and UTRGV (sophomore forward Cyera Hintzen) mark the first time UT has won two overtime matches in a single season since the 2009 campaign when the Horns defeated Colorado twice in OT on Oct. 25 & Nov. 4. The occurrence is also the first time the Burnt Orange & White has won in OT during consecutive contests since defeating Illinois (1-0, 2OT) and New Mexico (2-1, OT) on Sept. 3 & 7, 2006.
- For the Longhorns, taking a first-half lead seems to be a key to victory this season as Texas has scored eight of its 16 total goals over the opening 45 minutes of action. UT is 7-0 when scoring the match's first goal and 4-0 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 nine 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 96 MATCHES (both occurrences happened at TCU on Oct. 17, 2014 & Oct. 28, 2016) and only once over the last 51 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.
- Junior forward Alexa Adams is always a threat to put up at least one point for the Longhorns offense, having totaled at least one point in 13 of her last 28 contests dating back to Oct. 9, 2015. The Lancaster, Calif., native has also registered at least two points in a match on 10 different occasions with a high of four points in consecutive tilts at Iowa State (Oct. 9, 2015) and TCU (Oct. 11, 2015) back during her freshman season.
- Much like her teammate Adams, redshirt sophomore forward Mikayla Flores puts up points by the bunch, entering this weekend's action having tallied points in eight of her last 17 matches dating back to the 2015 campaign. The La Verne, Calif., native has opened her 2017 season with assists against Rice and North Texas.
- Texas sophomore forward Cyera Hintzen was chosen as one of 11 players on the annual Preseason All-Big 12 Team, the league office announced. The Garland, Texas, native is coming off a 2016 campaign that saw her tally two goals on the way to earning the program's fourth all-time selection as the Big 12 Freshman of the Year. She was one of just three sophomores to make the preseason squad. Hintzen has wasted no time making her impression felt in 2017 with the match-winning goal and an assist during the 2-1 season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 18), the match-winner to down North Texas (Aug. 27), 1-0, three points in the 3-0 rout of No. 25 Colorado (Sept. 8), an assist on the "golden goal" to finish off Northeastern (Sept. 10), 3-2 (OT) and the "golden goal" to beat UTRGV on Sept. 15.
- 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 37-17-6 (.667) record in the friendly confines of Myers Stadium and are 32-12-5 (.704) over the last 49 home matches. Texas owns an all-time home record of 134-43-19 (.732) 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 156-55-21 (.718) in all home games.
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