The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Thursday, August 18
Austin, Texas
7 p.m. CT
University of Texas
vs
Lipscomb
Soccer preview: Lipscomb
08.17.2022 | Soccer
The Longhorns prepare to host the Bisons to open the 2022 regular season
Match 1: Lipscomb (0-0-0) at Texas (0-0-0)
Time: Thursday, Aug. 18 – 7 p.m. CT
Location: Austin, Texas (Mike A. Myers Stadium & Soccer Field)
Tickets: Admission is FREE for all fans
Parking: Available in advance for the East Campus Garage through Click-And-Park ($5): LINK
TEXAS CLEAR BAG POLICY: Please note that there is a Clear Bag Policy in effect for fans when attending Texas Athletic events. For more details, please visit this LINK
Live Stats: LINK
TV: The match will be broadcast live on Longhorn Network (accessible through WATCHESPN with certain cable providers) and can be watched online through this LINK.
Free Kicks:
- Texas and Lipscomb will be meeting on the pitch for the first time on Thursday night. The Bisons are coming off a 15-5-1 season that saw them win both the 2021 Atlantic Sun Conference West and Tournament crowns.
- The Longhorns enter the 2022 regular season riding an eight-match home unbeaten streak (6-0-2) dating back to Sept. 12, 2021, against UTRGV. Over that stretch, Texas outscored its opposition, 18-3. UT has a long way to go to reach its current program record home unbeaten skein of 21 matches set from Aug. 31, 2007 to Oct. 31, 2008.
- Texas needs just five more goals to reach the 1,000-goal mark in program history. Entering Thursday night's match, the Longhorns have outscored their opposition all-time by a total of 995-677.
- Texas is 16-11-1 all-time in home-opening matches and 5-4-1 under the guidance of 11th-year head coach Angela Kelly. Last season, the Burnt Orange & White dropped their second-straight home opener with a 2-0 loss to Georgetown at Mike A. Myers Stadium.
- It took just 1:19 for Texas to get on the board, during last Friday's exhibition match against Incarnate Word, and the Longhorns never let up as the Burnt Orange & White rolled to a commanding, 7-0 victory. In all, five different players scored goals with sophomore midfielder Lexi Missimo powering the charge with a brace (two goals) and three assists for seven total points, while senior forward Teni Akindoju also scored twice. Sophomore transfer midfielder Jilly Shimkin, fifth-year senior forward Mackenzie McFarland and senior forward Sydney Nobles all ticked the twine as UT out-shot the Cardinals, 28-7.
- Texas picked up one first-place vote while being selected to finish SECOND in the annual Big 12 Conference preseason poll. Defending Big 12 regular season and tournament titlist TCU picked up seven first-place votes and 78 total points in topping the listing. Texas ranked second with one first-place vote and 66 total points. West Virginia (one first-place vote, 60 points) was third, while Texas Tech (53 points) and Oklahoma State (49 points) rounded out the top five. Oklahoma (one first-place vote, 40 points), Baylor (34 points), Kansas (30 points), Iowa State (24 points) and Kansas State (16 points) completed the poll.
- Texas sophomore midfielder Lexi Missimo and sophomore forward Trinity Byars have already picked up a pair of preseason honors entering the 2022 campaign. Both were named to the 11-member 2022 Preseason All-Big 12 Conference Team and were tabbed by United Soccer Coaches to their respective national "Player to Watch" lists for midfielders/forwards.
- Texas will begin the fall without the services of sophomore forwards Trinity Byars and Holly Ward because of international duty at the FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup in Costa Rica. Byars and Team USA will face Ghana (Aug. 11), Netherlands (Aug. 14) and Japan (Aug. 17) in Group D action, while Ward and Team Canada will battle South Korea (Aug. 11), France (Aug. 14) and Nigeria (Aug. 17) in Group C. The event runs from Aug. 10 through Aug. 28.
- The Longhorns are returning 21 letterwinners and 10 starters from last year's team that went 11-5-6 overall and unbeaten in Big 12 play at 6-0-3 (second-place finish in regular-season and tournament). Included are SIX "SUPER SENIORS" in graduate student goalkeeper Savannah Madden and fifth-year players: outside back/forward Cameron Brooks, midfielder/defender Carlee Allen, forward Mackenzie McFarland, midfielder/defender Emma Regan and goalkeeper Madison Hogue. UT is also adding eight standout newcomers including transfers Jilly Shimkin (Penn State) and Taylor Dellosso (Baylor).
- Texas' roster is dominated by players from a pair of standout club soccer programs, Solar SC (Dallas area) & the Vancouver Whitecaps (Canada). Previously coached at Solar SC by Derek Missimo (Lexi's dad), the Longhorns currently boast a staggering 11 different players from the program (Byars, McFarland, Missimo, Nobles, Claros, Lapomarda, Sydney Cox, EmJ Cox, Miller, Sproat, Dellosso), while freshman Olivia Ahern joins Holly Ward, Emma Regan & Teni Akindoju as products of the Whitecaps system. In all, 15-of-29 Texas players come from the two programs (52%).
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