No. 11 Soccer drops Top 25 matchup at No. 24 Mississippi State

Sunday, September 22

Starkville, Miss.

6:30 PM

University of Texas

7-1-2, 0-1-1

Mississippi State

8-1-0, 2-0-0

Texas

Mississippi St.

No. 11 Soccer drops Top 25 matchup at No. 24 Mississippi State

09.22.2024 | Soccer

Box Score

Texas to continue conference road tilt with upcoming trip to Oxford, Miss.

By: Chris Allen Brown

STARKVILLE, Miss. – The first trip to Starkville, Miss., for The University of Texas women's soccer program was a sour one as the 11th-ranked Longhorns fell to the 24th-ranked Bulldogs, 1-0, in a 90-minute match that saw Mississippi State take the lead at the 14-minute mark of the first half.

With both teams looking to take the upper hand during the early stages of Sunday night's contest, it was Mississippi State that forced the first goalkeeper into action when Zoe Main sent a shot towards the top-right corner of the goal that Longhorn goalkeeper Mia Justus saved. Five minutes later, Ally Perry forced Justus to make another play on a shot attempt for her second save in less than 10 minutes.

After each team traded possession throughout the ensuing five minutes, Perry, with the help of a pass from Aitana Martinez-Montoya, put a shot passed the outstretching Justus and into the back of the net to push the Bulldogs ahead, 1-0, at the 14-minute, 20-second mark of the first half.

Ashlyn Miller attempted to equalize the score three minutes later with Texas' first shot attempt of the evening, but the ball went right of the frame.

Over the course of the next 15 minutes, the Mississippi State offense attempted three more shots with two on frame. Miller had Texas' only shot attempt during the final 10 minutes of the first half.

With Megan Hogate in between the pipes for Texas throughout the second half, the California kept Mississippi State from adding to its lead despite the Bulldogs attempted five second-half shots. The Longhorns equaled MSU's second half shot total, too, with Amalia Villarrea, Arianna Brothers and Lexi Missimo all sending the ball towards the goal during the match's second 45-minute stanza.

However, Mississippi State goalkeeper Maddy Anderson made a save on both Missimo and Villarreal's shots on goal to keep the Longhorns out of the goal column for the night.

MATCH NOTES

With her shot on goal in the 82nd minute, Lexi Missimo has now had at least one shot attempt in her last 41 consecutive matches.
- The last — and only — time Missimo failed to be credited with a shot attempt in a collegiate women's soccer match occurred on Sept. 22, 2022, when she played just 18 of 90 minutes in Texas' 1-1 tie in Fort Worth at then-No. 12 TCU.
Despite being tied with Mississippi State on corner kick attempts at the end of the evening, Texas has now either taken more or taken the same amount of corner kick attempts in eight of 10 matches throughout the 2024 season.
Subbing in for Mia Justus less than 31 minutes into the match, senior goalkeeper Megan Hogate tied her career high with two saves on five second half Bulldog shot attempts.
Texas freshman forward Amalia Villarreal, who finished with three shot attempts that included one on goal, played a career-high 84 minutes after earning her sixth consecutive starting assignment.
- Villarreal was one of six different Longhorn starters to play 84-or-more minutes throughout Sunday night's match.
Even though Texas tied Alabama on Thursday before dropping Sunday's match, Lexi Missimo finished the conference-opening weekend as one of just four women's soccer student-athletes in the SEC to record a multi-assist match.
- Missimo was credited with a pair of assists on the Longhorns' two goals against the Crimson Tide during a Thursday night match in Austin.

UP NEXT

Texas (7-1-2) will return to the Magnolia State for a matchup against Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss., at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26.
- It'll be the first meeting between the two women's soccer programs since Nov. 14, 2003, when the Rebels knocked off the Longhorns, 1-0, in Gainesville, Fla., in the opening round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament.

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.