The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Friday, November 22
Durham, N.C.
3 PM
University of Texas
vs
Michigan State
No. 21 Soccer preview: NCAA Tournament Second Round
11.20.2024 | Soccer
Texas returns to the pitch with Round of 32 matchup against Michigan State in North Carolina
DURHAM, N.C. – Making its first trip to North Carolina since the 2022 season, The University of Texas women's soccer program will look to make its second consecutive Sweet Sixteen appearance when the No. 21 Longhorns take on No. 16 Michigan State (3 p.m. CT/ESPN+) on Friday, Nov. 22.
TELEVISION: Friday afternoon's match will be available to watch on the ESPN+ platform as well as streamed on the ESPN app with Zach Berly serving as the broadcast talent for the contest.
SERIES HISTORY:
- Texas and Michigan State have met on a soccer pitch just three times (1-1-1) throughout the Longhorns' program history with the latest matchup occurring on Sept. 4, 2005, when the two played to a 0-0 double overtime tie in East Lansing, Mich.
- The Longhorns are looking for their first win over the Spartans since Nov. 1, 1996, when Texas earned a 4-1 result on the Forty Acres.
- Friday afternoon's match will mark the first time the two have met on a neutral site after two previous contests have occurred in Michigan (1995, 2005) and one in Texas (1996).
- Despite playing a match in November during the 1996 season, the two women's soccer programs have never met during the NCAA Tournament.
- Including her tenure as the head coach at Tennessee (2000-11), Texas head coach Angela Kelly has never coached or played against Michigan State.
KICKING OFF:
- Friday afternoon's match against Michigan State will mark the fourth all-time NCAA Tournament match in Durham, North Carolina for Texas in program history.
- The Longhorns last played a postseason match at Durham on Nov. 18, 2022, when Texas fell to then-No. 8 Duke, 1-0, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
- When Texas takes the pitch against the Spartans, UT will be looking for its first-ever NCAA Tournament win in a match played in Durham.
- The Longhorns' only success during their previous three postseason matches on Duke's campus came on Nov. 17, 2017, when then-No. 18 Texas beat Clemson, 6-5, in a penalty kick shootout after the two programs played to a 110-minute, 1-1 tie.
- If Texas senior goalkeeper Mia Justus earns a win over Michigan State on Friday afternoon, the second-year Longhorn will not only move into fourth place on the program's career wins list with 35, but she'll also set the program's single-season wins record with 18.
- If Lauren Lapomarda is on the pitch for 68 minutes against Michigan State, the fifth-year senior defender will surpass the 8,000-career minutes played milestone, becoming the only active Longhorn active women's soccer student-athlete to reach the mark.
- With her next assist, Texas senior midfielder Lexi Missimo will be credited with her 64th career assist, which will tie the Southlake, Texas native with UConn's Jennifer Tietjen (1995-98) for 10th on the NCAA's Division I women's soccer career assist list.
- If Madison Haugen takes the pitch versus Michigan State on Friday afternoon, the graduate student will tie Alabama's Kat Rogers (2018-22) and Ole Miss' Sydney Michalak (2018-22) for fifth place on the SEC's career matches played list with 101.
- Despite being in her first season with Texas, Haugen played 78 career matches during a four-year career at Georgia (2020-23) before playing 22 matches for the Longhorns in their first season in the SEC.
- With a win over Michigan State on Friday, Texas would become the first women's soccer team in SEC history to win the league's postseason tournament and make an appearance in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet Sixteen during a team's first season in the conference.
- A win against the Spartans would give Texas an appearance in the Sweet Sixteen for the second consecutive season, marking just the second time (2006-07) the Longhorns have won a Round of 32 match in back-to-back seasons.
FOLLOW US:
- For the latest information on the team, follow @TexasSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at @TexasLonghorns on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
