The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
#7 West Virginia
Soccer preview: at No. 7 West Virginia
10.01.2020 | Soccer
The Longhorns head out on the road to Morgantown, W. Va., to battle the nationally-ranked Mountaineers
Match 4: Texas (1-2-0) at No. 7 West Virginia (2-1-0)
Time: Friday, Oct. 2 – 6 p.m. CT
Location: Morgantown, W. Va. (Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium)
Live Stats: LINK
TV: The match will be broadcast live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and can be watched online through this LINK.
Free Kicks:
- Texas is 2-8-1 all-time against West Virginia, including 0-3-0 in Morgantown, with the last Longhorns win in the series coming back on Sept. 24, 2017, in Austin, 1-0. In all, the last five matches (and nine-of-11 overall) have been settled by one goal or required overtime. Last season, WVU beat UT at Mike A. Myers Stadium, 2-1 (2OT).
- A pair of Longhorns were honored this week for combining on the match-winning goal to beat Oklahoma last Friday night in Austin, 1-0. Senior midfielder/forward Haley Berg picked up a key assist to be named to Top Drawer Soccer's National Team of the Week, while freshman forward Presley Echols scored her first collegiate goal and match winner (in her collegiate debut) to earn an honorable mention nod on the prestigious squad.
- With her 63rd-minute match-winning score against Oklahoma, freshman forward Presley Echols became the first Longhorns freshman to score in her collegiate debut since then-rookie forward Sydney Nobles tickled the twine in the 2019 season opener against Gonzaga.
- With her assist on Presley Echols' match-winner to beat Oklahoma (Sept. 25), senior midfielder/forward Haley Berg entered the Texas career top 10 for assists with her 17th helper. Check out where Berg currently ranks in the career record books below:
Category Total Career Rank Needs to move up in record book
Assists 17 Tie-10th needs one more assist to tie for 7th (18)
Points 57 10th needs two more points to tie for 9th (59)
Goals 20 11th needs one more goal to tie for 9th (21)
Match winners 6 11th needs one more winner to tie for 10th (7)
- Six different Longhorns have debuted in the Burnt Orange & White over the opening three matches of 2020. Sophomore defender Jennessa Groves has played in all three matches and received her first career start in the backline at TCU (Sept. 18). Freshman defender Lauren Lapomarda earned her first career start in the opener against Kansas (Sept. 11) and played 41 minutes, while fellow rookies Kelsey Hranicky and Morgan Pace both earned their first career collegiate playing time coming off the bench at TCU. Sophomore midfielder/forward Lauryn Oliver debuted at Texas as a substitute against the Jayhawks, while freshman forward Presley Echols made her first collegiate start and playing time count against Oklahoma (Sept. 25) by scoring her first career goal and match-winner to beat the Sooners.
- The Longhorns have won 28 consecutive matches in which they scored two-or-more goals in a contest dating back to the start of the 2017 season. The last time Texas failed to win when tickling the twine on two occasions was in a 3-2 defeat at TCU back on Oct. 28, 2016.
- Texas is 19-3-1 since the start of the 2018 season when scoring first in a match.
- After going just 2-8 in one-goal matches back in 2016, the Longhorns have since turned around their fortunes in such contests by going 26-13 in their last 39 one-goal matches since beginning 2017.
- Once again this season, the Texas soccer program has adopted the acronym RAMPED as the guideline for the campaign. The letters represent the words Respect, Accountability, Mentality, Pursuit of Excellence, Energy and Discipline, all facets of a championship team.
- Texas holds a 25-22-3 overall record in matches following a loss (that total doesn't carry over losses from end of a season to the next) under the guidance of head coach Angela Kelly.
- Fans and opponents better watch out for Texas' dynamic duo of senior midfielder Haley Berg (eight goals, nine assists in 2019) and junior midfielder Julia Grosso (eight goals, eight assists in 2019). The pair combined for 16 of Texas' 35 goals (46%), 17-of-38 assists (45%) and 49-of-108 total points (45%) during the 2019 campaign.
- Texas junior midfielder Julia Grosso was tabbed to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team for the second straight season. The 11-member squad is chosen each year by a vote of the league's coaches.
- The Longhorns were picked to finish FIFTH in the annual preseason Big 12 coaches poll. UT received 50 total points to trail Texas Tech (six first-place votes, 72 points), Oklahoma State (three first-place votes, 70 points), TCU (55 points) and West Virginia (54 points) in the standings. Texas finished last season third overall in the league.
