Soccer uses dominant first half to blast New Mexico State, 4-0

Thursday, September 2

Austin, Texas

7 p.m. CT

University of Texas

1-2-1, 0-0-0

New Mexico State

3-1-0, 0-0-0

New Mexico St.

Texas

Soccer uses dominant first half to blast New Mexico State, 4-0

09.02.2021 | Soccer

Box Score

Senior Julia Grosso and freshman Lexi Missimo each registered braces (two goals) in the victory

AUSTIN, Texas – On Thursday night at Mike A. Myers Stadium, senior midfielder Julia Grosso and freshman midfielder Lexi Missimo each scored braces (two goals) to back a clean sheet as Texas soccer (1-2-1) handed New Mexico State (3-1-0) its first loss of the young season in dominant fashion, 4-0.

Texas Team Notes

Grosso's brace was the fourth of her career (vs. Kansas State – Oct. 21, 2018; vs. Grambling – Sept. 22, 2019; vs. Gonzaga – Aug. 22, 2019; vs. New Mexico State – Sept. 2, 2021) while Missimo's was the second of her brief career in the Burnt Orange & White (at Baylor – April 1, 2021; vs. New Mexico State – Sept. 2, 2021).
Missimo now owns an impressive five career goals and 14 career points over her first seven collegiate matches after her career-high, five-point effort on Thursday against the Aggies (two goals, one assist).
Thursday marked the first time two different Longhorns scored two goals in a single match since Grosso and Texas-Ex Haley Berg did so during the 8-0 rout of Grambling back on Sept. 22, 2019.
Freshman forward Trinity Byars registered her first two collegiate assists, while freshman forward Tatiana Fung was credited with her initial career assist in the victory over New Mexico State.
The Longhorns out-shot New Mexico State in the match by a total of 25-6, including 9-0 in the second half. Texas also managed a 9-4 advantage in shots on goal, an 11-1 lead in corners and a 65-35% time of possession advantage.
The Longhorns have now won 33 consecutive matches in which they scored two-or-more goals in a contest dating back to the start of the 2017 season.

The Details

The Longhorns started fast on Thursday night against New Mexico State by grabbing the lead just 4:59 into the contest. It was Grosso that did the serious work as the Vancouver, British Columbia, native weaved her way up the middle of the pitch approximately 40 yards through numerous defenders before driving a left-footed shot into the right corner past Aggie keeper Makenna Gottschalk.

With the Burnt Orange & White peppering the NMSU end, the Longhorns doubled their advantage at 10:30. In possession near the left edge of the six-yard-box, Byars passed out to Missimo on the left wing. The Southlake, Texas, product crossed a promising pass into the middle towards Grosso. The feed proved about a foot too high for Texas' Canadian Olympian to get a head on, but the ball eventually beat a diving Gottschalk to grant Texas a 2-0 lead.

Texas nearly added more at 14:37 as Byars broke in 1-v-1 but saw her 13-yard effort saved. Just 1:05 later, Grosso hammered a drive off the right post before the Aggie defense cleared its lines.

Trailing 8-0 in shots, New Mexico State finally managed its first attempt at 16:52 as midfielder Gianna Valenti shot well wide right from 30 yards out.

NMSU forward Shea O'Connor followed up that effort with a lengthy try of her own at 20:51, but Texas senior goalkeeper Savannah Madden handled it easily for her first of four saves in the match.

The lead expanded even further at 23:10 as Missimo moved upfield and located Byars just outside the top of the box. Byars turned quickly and delivered a perfectly-weighted pass to an on-the-run Grosso, and she finished past a charging Gottschalk from seven yards out to make it 3-0.

Facing wave-after-wave of Texas pressure, New Mexico State allowed a fourth goal at 34:20. Fung started the play by dribbling upfield towards the top of the box before passing out wide on the right side. Senior forward Mackenzie McFarland took possession and lofted a perfect feed into the middle where Missimo was waiting to head the ball down and to the left past Gottschalk for a 4-0 lead.

Out of the break it was continued Texas dominance as the defense didn't allow a shot over the final 45 minutes while the offense out-shot the Aggies, 9-0.

Byars came close again to scoring her first collegiate goal at 48:29, but her 12-yard try was again stopped on a Gottschalk dive.

The Longhorns continued to fire away at the New Mexico State goal over the remainder of the contest.

It was McFarland that came the closest to adding her name on the goal-scoring sheet, but her 75th minute blast was tipped over the cross bar.