The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
02.09.2023 | Soccer
Byars, Missimo to train, play with U.S. Under-23 Women’s Youth National Team
AUSTIN, TX – The University of Texas' women's soccer program will be represented within the United States' Under-23 Women's Youth National Team as forward Trinity Byars and midfielder Lexi Missimo were selected to participate in training and two games with the organization this month.
The pair of Longhorns, along with the rest of the U.S. U-23 Women's National Team (WNT), will travel to Paris for a 10-day period from Feb. 12 to Feb. 21 to train and play two games against the France U-23 WNT. The pair of soccer contests will take place on Feb. 17 and Feb. 20 at Clairefontaine, France's famed National Training Center located outside of Paris.
With both Byars and Missimo being selected as two of the 12 collegiate players selected to the 20-member team, The University of Texas is the only Big 12 Conference program to be represented on the team. The Longhorns are also one of just three NCAA Division I women's soccer programs — Virginia (3) and Florida State (2) — to have multiple student-athletes selected to participate in the 10-day window.
"We are all very excited for Trinity and Lexi to get back on the international circuit and attend this event with the U23 squad in France," said Texas women's soccer head coach Angela Kelly. "They have both been training hard and are looking forward to this quality training along with two high-level matches."
Byars, who earned Big 12 Conference's Offensive Player of the Year recognition as well as United Soccer Coaches First Team All-American honors and was a Mac Hermann Trophy Top 15 National Semifinilist in 2022, is one of seven players on the roster who played for the USA at the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.
Missimo, who was a preseason All-American and selected to the Mac Hermann Trophy Preseason Watch List in 2022, led the Big 12 and ranked third in Division I women's soccer with a single-season program-best 15 assists last season despite missing nearly six games.
The U.S. team will be coached by Carrie Kveton, a former assistant coach in the NWSL and is the current Head of Individual Development for FC Nordsjaelland in Denmark. Margueritte Aozasa and Julianne Sitch will serve as her assistant coaches, while Sam Raper will train the goalkeepers.
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