No. 15 Soccer’s Byars sparks home-opening win with first-half hat trick

Sunday, August 20

Austin, TX

2 PM

University of Texas

2-0-0, 0-0-0

Rice

0-2-0, 0-0-0

Rice

Texas

No. 15 Soccer’s Byars sparks home-opening win with first-half hat trick

08.20.2023 | Soccer

Box Score

Texas’ junior forward Trinity Byars ties school record for most career hat tricks

By: Chris Allen Brown

AUSTIN, TX – The ever-going collegiate soccer résumé of Trinity Byars added another milestone during Texas' 6-0 win over Rice as the Richardson, Texas native tied the program's career record for hat tricks with three after scoring three first-half goals.

Byars, who has now been credited with the last three consecutive hat tricks in the program's history, tied Kelly Wilson, who accomplished the feat twice in 2003 and then once in 2004. Byars entered Sunday's contest tied with Kelly McDonald, who recorded a hat trick in 2002 and 2003, for the second most.

Byars' offensive outburst began at the 6:49 mark of the first half when she netted an unassisted goal through two sliding Rice defenders inside the 18-yard box. Less than six minutes later, Jilly Shimkin delivered a long ball from midfield to a streaking Byars down the center of the pitch that resulted in a 1-on-1 opportunity for the forward. And the hat trick was completed nearly 10 minutes later after Lexi Missimo drew the Rice goalkeeper towards the near post, before finding Byars in the middle of the 6-yard box for a chip in.

FROM HEAD COACH ANGELA KELLY

"I don't get sick of saying it, but (Trinity) is very special and in combination with Lexi (Missimo), her and Lexi are a special combination: five goals and two assists among the two of them today was remarkable. Trin tried to give Lexi more and Lexi tried to give Trin more, which is something that's just been their whole lives. I said it in the press conference at the beginning of the season, I'm just grateful I'm not the coaches who are organizing (defenses) to play against them, especially when they do such a good job of inviting in the rest of the players to make a four-or-five-player combination."

FROM JUNIOR TRINITY BYARS

"(Rice) played with a really high (back)line, so it was really easy for our midfielders — Jilly (Shimkin) and Lexi (Missimo) — to get the ball in behind. And they do it the best, so they were just putting me in great positions to score."

GAME NOTES

The six goals scored for Texas were the most by the Longhorns against a Rice team since netting seven on Sept. 22, 2002.
Texas now moves to 5-0-0 all time against Rice in soccer matches played in Austin.
- Sunday's victory was also the first for the Longhorns over the Owls in the state's capital since Aug. 18, 2017, when Texas won 2-1.
As a result of Sunday's score, first-year Longhorn goalkeeper Mia Justus was credited with her first clean sheet since joining the program.
- It was Justus' 10th career collegiate clean sheet after earning nine over a two-year career at Florida State.
By picking up assists on both Trinity Byars and Lexi Missimo's second goals, Jilly Shimkin finished Sunday's match with a career-high two assists.
- It's the first time Shimkin has scored a goal and been credited with an assist in the same match since Oct. 13, 2022, when Texas beat West Virginia, 2-1.
By finishing Texas' match on Sunday with three goals and an assist, Trinity Byars recorded the fifth-most points (7) in a single match in program history.
- Byars was the same student-athlete to finish a match with seven points after having the same stat line — three goals, one assists — against Oklahoma on Oct. 31, 2021.
Texas outshot Rice, 34-4, on the afternoon with 13 of those being on target. The Longhorns also had 13 corner kicks to the Owls' two.

UP NEXT

Texas (2-0-0) will put its 11-match unbeaten streak at Mike A. Myers Stadium and Soccer Field on the line when the Longhorns host LSU (1-1-0) at 7 p.m. CT on Thursday, Aug. 24.
- The Tigers will travel to Austin following a 4-1 win over Southern Miss on Sunday, Aug. 20.
- A win over the Tigers on Thursday night would mark the 200th home win in the Longhorns' program history.
  - Texas currently has a 199-66-25 (.729) all-time home record.

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