The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Soccer puts six student-athletes on All-Big 12 Conference Teams
11.02.2021 | Soccer
Lexi Missimo was voted as Texas’ fourth Big 12 Freshman of the Year honoree over the last six seasons
AUSTIN, Texas – According to a Tuesday announcement from the league office, No. 20 Texas soccer had six players earn All-Big 12 Conference accolades, marking the most honorees for the Longhorns program in a single-season since 2006.
Midfielder Lexi Missimo was voted as Texas' seventh all-time Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year and became the fourth Longhorns rookie to earn the honor over the last six years. Missimo also joined senior midfielder Julia Grosso (fourth career selection) and freshman forward Trinity Byars as part of the All-Big 12 Conference First Team.
Fifth-year senior goalkeeper Savannah Madden, senior midfielder Emma Regan and freshman defender EmJ Cox each received All-Big 12 Conference Second Team nods. Cox, Byars and Missimo were also honored as part of the 11-member Big 12 Conference All-Freshman Team.
With six players on the all-league squads, Texas soccer now owns a combined 78 All-Big 12 and 38 all-freshman inclusions.
Missimo has made quite an impression during her first full campaign in the Burnt Orange & White by scoring nine goals and dishing a Big 12 Conference-high 13 assists for 31 total points. Along the way, the Southlake, Texas, native has totaled points in 11-of-19 matches and at least three points in five separate contests. Included was a program-record-tying performance during Texas' 7-0 rout of UTRGV (Sept. 12) as Missimo became the first Longhorns player to score four goals in a match in 18 years. She also tied a program mark by dishing four assists during a 4-3 victory at Oklahoma back on Sept. 2 and registered match-winning goals to down both SIUE (Sept. 19) and Iowa State (Oct. 8).
Despite not getting on the scoresheet goal-wise until her seventh career match, Byars quickly ignited offensively and now leads the team with 12 goals (four match winners) to go with 10 assists for a team-leading 34 total points. Along the way, Byars established a new program record by scoring in six consecutive matches from Sept. 12-30 and put up the second-longest point-scoring streak in school history by totaling at least one point in eight straight contests (Sept. 12-Oct. 8). The Richardson, Texas, native owns three multi-goal efforts this season. Included were braces against both Samford (Sept. 16) and Oklahoma (Sept. 26) as well as the program's 15th overall hat trick scored during a 5-2, Big 12 quarterfinal win over the Sooners.
Now a four-time All-Big 12 Conference selection, Grosso has continued her outstanding production into her senior campaign by totaling six goals and four assists for 14 points over 15 matches. The Vancouver, British Columbia, native and Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medalist has registered points in seven contests this season, scored goals in six matches and tallied match-winners to down New Mexico State (Sept. 2), UTRGV (Sept. 12) and Texas Tech (Oct. 3). Her finest efforts arguably came with a brace in the win over New Mexico State, a two-assist effort during the triumph over Samford (Sept. 16) and by scoring the match-winner just 7:51 into a 1-0 victory over rival Texas Tech (Oct. 3).
One of the unquestioned team leaders, Regan has started all 19 matches as a senior while playing a team-leading 1,812 of 1,823 possible minutes. The Burnaby, British Columbia, product has now appeared in Texas' last 59 matches and is currently riding a streak of 55 straight starts dating back to Oct., 25, 2018. After spending the early season in her usual role as a center back, Regan was moved into more of a holding midfielder role. That move paid huge dividends as Regan and the Longhorns are currently on a program-record-tying 13-match unbeaten streak. Her efforts also played a key role in a program-record shutout streak of 552:56.
A fixture in the back line as a rookie, Cox has started all 19 matches and been on the pitch for 1,735 total minutes while totaling two goals and an assist for five total points. The Dallas, Texas, native has been a vital contributor in nine shutouts as well as helping the Longhorns post a program-record shutout streak of 552:56 from Sept. 30-Oct. 24. Cox got on the scoresheet for the first time in her Texas career during the 1-1 (2OT) tie at No. 19 Rice (Sept. 5) and scored again off a header during the 4-3 victory at Oklahoma (Sept. 26). Last Sunday in her first career Big 12 Championship quarterfinal, she posted her first career assist by driving a long pass over 40+ yards up field to Byars who scored at the 72:51 mark.
A standout between the pipes currently in her fifth year with the program, Madden has started all 19 matches in goal for the Burnt Orange & White as a senior, putting up eight solo shutouts, 11 victories, a 0.84 goals-against-average and 75 total saves. Included were season-high, eight-save efforts during a 1-1 (2OT) tie against No. 10 TCU and a 0-0 (2OT) deadlock at Baylor as well as trio of seven-stop performances at Florida (Aug. 22) at No. 19 Rice (Sept. 5) and versus West Virginia (Oct. 21). As the backstop, Madden also played a vital role in Texas' program-record shutout streak of 552:56 that stretched over parts of six matches from Sept. 30-Oct. 24. For her efforts at Baylor, Madden earned her second career selection to Top Drawer Soccer's National Team of the Week.
