The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
HCU
Soccer preview: HCU
08.11.2026 | Soccer
Longhorns open Margueritte Bates era on Wednesday
HCU VS. TEXAS
Date: Aug. 12, 2026
Where: Mike A. Myers Stadium
Time: 7 p.m.
TV: SEC Network+
Live stats: texas.statbroadcast.com
THE MATCHUP — Texas kicks off its 34th season of women's soccer and its inaugural campaign under head coach Margueritte Bates when the Longhorns welcome the HCU Huskies to Mike A. Myers Soccer Stadium. Texas is 18-14-1 in its season openers, including three victories in its last four years. The Longhorns have won both prior meetings against the Huskies, outscoring their in-state foe, 7-0. Texas topped HCU, 4-0, on Sept. 9, 2018 before notching a 3-0 victory on Sept. 12, 2024. The Huskies are coming off their third NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. HCU won a program-record 12 matches last season, including sweeping through three games at the Southland Conference Championship Tournament.
A NEW ERA — On Nov. 25, 2025, Margueritte Bates was named just the fifth Longhorns head soccer coach since the program's birth in 1993. Bates arrives on The Forty Acres following an extraordinary four-year tenure at UCLA, where she became the first rookie head coach to win the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship in 2022. During her time with the Bruins, Bates compiled a 67-13-9 (.803) ledger, the fourth-best mark of any program during that stretch. The two-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year guided UCLA to a pair of conference titles and four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
PRESEASON PRAISE — Five Longhorns received preseason recognition from the Southeastern Conference. Ashlyn Anderson, Mya Brandon, Ava McDonald, Hannah Tate and Amalia Villarreal all earned spots on the league's preseason watch list. McDonald, Tate and Villarreal lead the quintet, as Top Drawer Soccer slotted the trio among the top-100 players in women's soccer. McDonald checked in at No. 37, Villarreal ranked 42nd and Tate was listed at No. 51. Meanwhile, United Soccer Coaches identified Tate as a candidate for the Mac Hermann Trophy, as well as a midfielder to watch. Villarreal joined Tate on the watch list, while McDonald claimed her spot among the best forwards nationally.
GUESS WHO'S BACK, BACK AGAIN — The Longhorns return eight of their 11 starters from a season ago, highlighted by 2025 SEC Freshman of the Year Ava McDonald and two-time All-SEC Second Team selection Amalia Villarreal. Texas brings back 92 percent of its goals, the highest mark in the league. Meanwhile, 75.7 percent of the Longhorns' total points are returning in 2026. Overall, six of Texas' top seven players in minutes played last season will don the burnt orange once again.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK — The Longhorns welcome 15 newcomers to the 2026 roster, including five freshmen and 10 transfers. Texas' rookie class is headlined by Caroline Swann, who was ranked as the outlet's fifth-best overall recruit in the class of 2026. Meanwhile, the Longhorns' 10 transfers enter the season with a combined 12,088 minutes and 221 matches of collegiate experience. Ashlyn Anderson and Mya Brandon arrive on The Forty Acres fresh off a national championship at Florida State. Former top-10 recruit Callan Harrington joins the Longhorns following two standout seasons at LMU and 2025 Summit League Midfielder of the Year Hannah Tate bolsters Texas' backline. In net, Texas adds three goalkeeper, led by Montana transfer Bayliss Flynn, who brings the most experience of the group. Flynn led the NCAA with a .925 save percentage in 2024.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE — With their highly-anticipated move to the SEC two years ago, the Longhorns will once again play one of the toughest schedules in the country. Texas is slated to face five teams in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, highlighted by No. 5 Vanderbilt, No. 6 TCU and No. 10 Arkansas. The Longhorns will play eight of their contests on the friendly grounds at Mike A. Myers Stadium and nine matches away from Austin.
HOME SWEET HOME — Texas owns a 44-13-9 (.735) record at Mike A. Myers Stadium since the start of the 2020 season. Texas has managed to win double-digit contests at home in three of the last four years, highlighted by a 10-1-2 campaign in 2024. Overall, the Longhorns have posted a 197-64-28 (.730) ledger at Mike A. Myers Stadium.
YOUNG MCDONALD — Ava McDonald burst onto the college soccer scene last season. After a star-studded debut campaign, McDonald garnered Top Drawer Soccer Freshman Best XI First Team and SEC Freshman of the Year honors. The 5-foot-6 forward became the ninth different Longhorn to earn Newcomer/Freshman of the Year distinction, including the sixth in the nine seasons. She paced all of the league's rookies in goals (9), points (22), shots (67) and shots on goal (32) a season ago. Overall, McDonald ranked fourth in goals per game (0.53) and fifth in points per game (1.29). Across the last nine contests, she mounted 16 points, highlighted by a pair of multi-goal efforts. McDonald become the first Longhorn freshman to have three braces since Trinity Byars in 2021. In her young career, the Allen, Texas, native has participated in USYNT camp at the U-16, U-17 and U-19 stages.
THE VILLARREAL DEAL — A two-time All-SEC Second Team honoree, Amalia Villarreal has become a stalwart for the Longhorns during her two years on The Forty Acres. Across 43 career matches, the junior has notched 50 points. Villarreal has scored 20 times and dished out 10 assists, posting at least eight tallies in each season. Last year, she registered the seventh-most goals per game (0.47) in the SEC. Villarreal came off the pitch for 16 total minutes in 2025, etching her name in the program's record book along the way. Against Vanderbilt on Sept. 26, the Lansing, Mich., earned the No. 7 spot on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays on her first goal of the evening. With 10 seconds left in the tilt, Villarreal slotted a penalty kick, which marked the latest regulation goal to win a match in program history. As a rookie in 2024, she was tabbed the SEC Freshman of the Year. In conference action, she led all freshmen with 14 points, collecting five goals and four assists. Overall, Villarreal was one of just four SEC players with at least nine tallies and eight assists, joining teammate Lexi Missimo, Arkansas' Ava Tankersley and South Carolina's Catherine Barry.
NEW NAME, SAME EMJ — A lifelong Longhorn, EmJ Witt (Cox) got married to former Texas baseball player Tanner Witt on Jan. 1, 2026. A staple for the Longhorns on the backline since stepping foot on The Forty Acres, Witt is in her sixth year in burnt orange. Over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, she logged just 150 minutes in two matches, due to a pair of knee injuries. The 2022 Big 12 Defender of the Year started all 44 matches across her first two campaigns, registering nine goals and four assists. During Witt's first two years with the Longhorns, she played all but 87 minutes, recording more than 4,000 minutes. The 5-foot-10 defender garnered All-Conference recognition in both seasons. With Witt on the pitch, the Longhorns have notched 21 clean sheets.
