The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
SIUE
Soccer blitzes SIUE behind quick first-half assault, 3-0
09.19.2021 | Soccer
Lexi Missimo scored her 10th career goal to become the fastest player to reach double figures in UT history
AUSTIN, Texas – On Sunday afternoon at Mike A. Myers Stadium, an early blitz of goals from freshman midfielder Lexi Missimo, freshman forward Trinity Byars and freshman forward Holly Ward powered Texas soccer (4-3-2) to its third-straight victory through a 3-0 win over SIUE (3-4-0).
With Missimo's score, she now owns 10 goals over her first 12 collegiate matches, and in the process, became the fastest to reach the double-figure goal mark in Texas program history. The previous record of nine goals over the first 12 matches was held by former UT All-American Kelly Wilson (2001).
Texas Team Notes
- Missimo (five goals) and Byars (four goals) have now combined to score nine of Texas' last 11 goals dating back to the 7-0 rout of UTRGV (Sept. 12).
- Ward's goal and points (two) were the first of her collegiate career in the Burnt Orange & White.
- With a goal and an assist against SIUE, Byars registered her fourth multi-point outing of the season. The Richardson, Texas, native also moved into second on the 2021 squad in goals (four), is tied for first in assists (five) and rates second in total points (13).
- Missimo managed her team-leading seventh goal and fifth assist for a squad-best 19 points in 2021.
- Texas out-shot SIUE by a total of 19-9, led 7-4 in shots on goal and posted a 7-1 advantage on corners.
- Missimo now owns 10 career goals, seven career assists and 27 career points over her first 12 Texas matches.
The Details
It was SIUE that registered the match's first scoring chance just 36 seconds in as Maria Haro blazed well over the cross bar from 13 yards out.
On the other end, Texas wasted no time creating its own danger as senior midfielder Julia Grosso hammered a shot from the left side of the box off the cross bar at 2:26.
The Longhorns dynamic duo soon worked their magic to grant Texas a 1-0 lead just 3:00 in. Missimo delivered a through ball up field to Byars heading into the 18-yard box. She fought off her marker out on the left wing and fed a pass back to Missimo standing in space about 12 yards out in the middle. The Southlake, Texas, native didn't waste her chance as her shot ventured over a leaping SIUE goal-line defender and into the twine.
After the Cougars saw Andrea Frerker (4:01) and Mackenzie Litzsinger (9:07) have shots go wide and get blocked, respectively, the Longhorns struck again in the 14th minute.
This time it was freshman forward Tati Fung getting in on the assist action as the Fullerton, Calif., product dribbled up field and passed a ball out to her right. Byars took possession, advanced towards the top right edge of the box and beat SIUE goalkeeper Jensen Schoch into the lower left corner of the net from 19 yards out to make it 2-0.
It took just 5:11 for the Longhorns to add a third goal to their advantage. Out in the right edge of the box, Missimo unleashed a blast that rattled off the crossbar and dropped down into the left side of the six. Waiting to pounce was Ward as the North Vancouver, British Columbia, product drove home a leaping left-footed volley from five yards for her first collegiate goal to make it 3-0.
Texas continued to fire away over the remainder of the first half as Grosso came close to a fourth UT goal at 40:47. Receiving a through ball from Byars, she found herself 1-v-1 against the keeper. Her eventual effort from 16 yards out was stopped by a diving save from Schoch.
A missed Longhorns clearance nearly came back to hurt Texas at 44:24 as Taylor Dolt found space up the left wing before moving in 1-v-1. Texas fifth-year senior goalkeeper Savannah Madden raced off her line to cut down the angle and made one of her four total stops to preserve the clean sheet.
Out of the halftime break, Grosso had another great chance materialize in the 55th minute, but her 1-v-1 shot from 17 yards out was deflected away by replacement SIUE keeper Bella Henderson.
After a Texas turnover, SIUE created another scoring threat at 56:13 as Frerker fired a shot from the top of the box that traveled right into Madden's arms.
Texas out-shot SIUE over the final 45 minutes, 9-3, with perhaps the best chance to add to its lead coming at 63:44.
Off a corner, Longhorns freshman defender EmJ Cox outleapt the crowd inside the box and headed a ball on frame. The shot appeared on its way into the net, but a last-gasp clearance off the goal line by a Cougar defender kept the score at 3-0.
Missimo nearly made it a brace with 7:14 left in regulation, but her 25-yard drive from outside the top of the box was deflected up-and-over the cross bar by Henderson.
