The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Grand Canyon
Soccer preview: at Grand Canyon
08.22.2026 | Soccer
Longhorns face Lopes for first time in program history
TEXAS VS. GRAND CANYON
Date: Aug. 23, 2026
Where: GCU Stadium
Time: 9 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. MT
TV: MW+
Live stats: texas.statbroadcast.com
THE MATCHUP — Coming off a 1-1 draw at Arizona State on Thursday evening, undefeated Texas continues its six-day road trip with a visit to Grand Canyon on Sunday night. The Longhorns have faced eight different programs while they were active members of the Mountain West Conference, but have never faced the Lopes. Against Mountain West teams, Texas sports a 12-7-1 (.625) all-time record. The Longhorns' most recent meeting against a Mountain West power came against San Diego State on Sept. 5, 2024.
DRAW WITH THE DEVILS — Amalia Villarreal mounted a goal for the third straight match this season, as the Texas Longhorns earned a 1-1 draw against Arizona State at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium on Thursday evening. With the result, the Longhorns remained unbeaten through their first three contests under head coach Margueritte Bates. In the 18th minute, Villarreal capitalized on an Arizona State turnover to break the early stalemate. As the Sun Devils attempted to clear the potential threat near their own end line, Villarreal corralled the errant pass, danced free from a closing defender and delivered a right-footed strike into the left side of the frame. Dating back to last season, the Lansing, Mich., native has now found the back of the net in five consecutive contests to tie the second-longest goal-scoring streak in program history, matching Niki Arlitt (Sept. 14-28, 2007), Trinity Byars (Oct. 13-30, 2022) and Lexi Missimo (Oct. 10-27, 2024). After posting back-to-back shutouts in its first two tilts, Texas' scoreless streak was halted at 209 minutes, 46 seconds. Off of a Sun Devil corner kick, Lucy Fazackerley soared and headed home the equalizer in the 30th minute. Overall, the Longhorns outshot Arizona State, 14-9.
BIG-TIME BAYLISS — Senior Bayliss Flynn was named the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Week, the league office announced Monday. Flynn became just the second Texas goalkeeper to record back-to-back clean sheets in her first two starts as a Longhorn in the program's illustrious 33-year history, joining Dana Hall in 2003. In Texas' season-opening shutout win over HCU, the 5-foot-6 netminder directed a Longhorns' defense that held the Huskies to just three shots, including zero attempts on target. Flynn followed her first clean sheet with a six-save performance in a 1-0 victory at Pitt on Sunday. A transfer from Montana, she earns her third career weekly league honor after being tabbed Big Sky Conference Player of the Week twice during the 2024 campaign.
A NEW ERA — On Nov. 25, 2025, Margueritte Bates was named just the fourth 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.
