The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
09.06.2023 | Soccer
The Longhorns pick up second, third Big 12 weekly awards in third week of the season.
AUSTIN, TX – For the first time since Sept. 21, 2021, The University of Texas women's soccer program picked up both the Big 12 Conference's Offensive Player and Freshman of the Week awards in the same week as the league announced its weekly awards on Wednesday morning.
Following a six-assist, two-goal week during the Longhorns' two wins over the course of last week's action, Lexi Missimo picked up her second career Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honor and first since Oct. 28, 2022. By recording a pair of goals in 95 minutes of game action against UTRGV and SMU, Avery Clark becomes the first freshman Longhorn women's soccer student-athlete since Liz Worden (Aug. 23, 2022) to earn the league's weekly award for the top freshman performance.
The last time Texas picked up both of the conference's top weekly offensive and freshman honors was when Trinity Byars picked up both on Sept. 21, 2021.
Missimo was the offensive catalyst that directed the Texas offense — the top scoring program in the Big 12 — to a 5-0 and 6-0 win on the week. Not only did she lead the league with six assists, but she was the only student-athlete in the conference to finish the week with 10-or-more points (10) and a points per game mark of 5.00-or-higher (5.00). She matched her career high with four assists against UTRGV on Thursday, then became the program's new leader in career assists with 42 following Sunday's six-goal victory over SMU. She also played all 90 minutes in both matches on the week, extended the program record for consecutive matches with an assist to six straight and scored a pair of goals. She also converted both penalty kick opportunities she had on the week.
In just 95 minutes of game action during the week, Clark left no doubt she's one of the top freshmen in the league as the Brentwood, Tenn., native scored a goal in both of Texas' wins and was also credited with an assist against SMU. Clark (2) joined teammates Missimo (2) and Byars (3) as the only Longhorn student-athletes to score multiple goals on the week. Clark's three points against SMU, which was receiving votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll, marked a single-match career high for the 5-foot-11 forward. The week also marked the first time in her career she's scored at least one goal in back-to-back matches.
Missimo (Offensive) and Clark (Freshman) join Byars (Offensive, Aug. 23) as the only Longhorn women's soccer student-athletes to pick up a weekly honor from the Big 12 Conference so far this season.
UP NEXT
Texas (5-1-0) will look to extend its consecutive clean sheet streak to four straight matches when the Longhorns take on Stephen F. Austin (1-5-0) at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 7.
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