The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Soccer puts five student-athletes on various All-Big 12 Teams
11.05.2019 | Soccer
Senior forward Cyera Hintzen becomes the fifth Longhorns player to earn four consecutive league honors
AUSTIN, Texas – According to a Tuesday announcement from the league office, Texas soccer had five players reap All-Big 12 Conference accolades as sophomore midfielder Julia Grosso was selected to the All-Big 12 First Team, senior forward Cyera Hintzen, junior midfielder Haley Berg and sophomore defender Emma Regan each picked up All-Big 12 Second Team honors and rookie forward Sydney Nobles earned a nod to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team.
With her selection, Hintzen became the fifth Longhorns player to earn league honors over all four years of her career joining former Burnt Orange & White standouts Kelly Wilson (2001-04), Stephanie Logterman (2005-08), Kasey Moore (2005-08) and Abby Smith (2012-15) among the illustrious group. Berg received her third consecutive Big 12 accolade, while Grosso's inclusion was her second straight (initial first team selection).
With four players on the all-league squads, Texas soccer now owns 70 combined All-Big 12 selections, while Nobles received UT's 34th overall all-freshman inclusion.
Fresh off making the roster for the Canadian Senior Women's National Team at this past summer's FIFA Women's World Cup France, Grosso carried that momentum into a breakout sophomore campaign for the Longhorns. The Vancouver, British Columbia, native is currently tied for the team lead in goals (eight – tied for seventh in the Big 12) and second in both assists (seven – tied for fifth in the Big 12) and total points (23 – tied for seventh in the Big 12) while having started 16 matches and playing 1,370 total minutes. An incredibly efficient scorer, she has registered those eight goals on just 13 shots on goal (62% efficiency mark). Grosso started off the season with a bang by totaling a career-high five points on two goals and an assist during the season-opening, 4-3 win over Gonzaga. For her efforts in the victory over the Bulldogs, she was tabbed to Top Drawer Soccer's National Team of the Week on Aug. 27. Overall, she totaled at least two points in a match on seven occasions and registered her first career match-winning goal at the 86:02 mark to top Kansas State (Sept. 29), 1-0.
A MAC Hermann Trophy preseason watch list inclusion, Hintzen battled through an early stint with injury to put up five goals and four assists to rate third on the squad with 14 points over 16 starts up top. A clutch performer throughout her time on the Forty Acres, the Garland, Texas, native registered three more match-winning goals (against Gonzaga, at Kansas, TCU) to boost her career total to 12, the fourth-most in Texas program history. Often at her best late in matches, Hintzen scored all three of her 2019 match-winners during the second half. Including the goals to defeat Gonzaga (80:56) and TCU (87:34), she now owns seven career match-winners in the 81st-minute or later. Hintzen also established a new single-match career-high by dishing three assists during the season-opening, 4-3 win over Gonzaga (Aug. 22) on her way to earning an honorable mention nod on Top Drawer Soccer's National Team of the Week.
Texas' top 2019 scorer and another preseason MAC Hermann Trophy watch list selection, Berg carried her scoring fireworks from a standout spring season right into the fall campaign. The Celina, Texas, product tied with Grosso for the team lead with eight goals (tied for seventh in the Big 12), while totaling a squad-best nine assists (tied for second in the Big 12 and sixth in a single-season in UT history) and 25 points (sixth in the Big 12). Berg started all 19 matches at either midfielder or forward and played 1,600 of 1,774 possible minutes for the Longhorns this season. Overall, she totaled at least two points in a match on eight occasions and managed her first two career braces during wins at Stephen F. Austin and against Grambling. She also tallied three match-winners this season (now six in her career), including a second-half score to help lead the Longhorns past Washington back on Sept. 13, 2-0.
Another Canadian international and a member of the 2019 Preseason All-Big 12 Team, Regan served as a key cog in a UT defensive backline that put up seven shutouts this season. The Burnaby, British Columbia, product started all 19 matches for the Longhorns and played 1,676 of 1,774 possible minutes while recording two assists. One of those helpers was key to a huge road win as Regan launched a perfectly weighted pass 30 yards upfield and over the backline into the path of Hintzen who scored the match-winner at 69:36 to knock-off No. 17 Kansas, 1-0. Since missing most of the 2018 Big 12 season because of international duty with the Canadian Senior Women's National Team, Regan has now started each of Texas' last 25 matches.
In her initial campaign on the Forty Acres, Nobles made a quick impression, registering two goals and two assists for six points to tie for fourth on the Longhorns in scoring. The Southlake, Texas, native appeared in all 19 matches this season, with two starts, while playing 821 total minutes. She wasted no time getting on the stat sheet by scoring Texas' first goal of 2019 at the 33:01 mark of the season-opening, 4-3 victory over Gonzaga (Aug. 22). From there, she picked up her first two career assists against Grambling (Sept. 22) and Iowa State (Oct. 25), with her helper against the Cyclones leading to Berg's match-winner at 78:53. She also earned her first Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Week honor (Nov. 1) after scoring a key goal at the 39:00 mark of the 3-2 (2OT), "Red River Rivalry" win at Oklahoma.
The Longhorns now wait to learn their NCAA Tournament fate with the broadcast of the annual NCAA Women's Soccer Championship Selection Show on Mon., Nov. 11, at 3:30 p.m. CT live on NCAA.com.
