Freshman forward shines in Lone Star Showdown vs. Texas A&M, Longhorns prevail 2-0 for second SEC win
For the first time in just under two years, Texas soccer won against Texas A&M. Despite its slow start to life in the SEC with a tie and a loss in its first two games, the Longhorns claimed their second conference win in a row with a 2-0 victory.
In the opening five minutes, the game was shaking up to be a cagey affair. The Aggies came out in a similar formation to the Longhorns and stayed compact in the middle. With both teams lining up with four defenders and three central midfielders, the middle of the field remained clogged, often leading to misplaced passes. This prevented star senior midfielder Lexi Missimo from receiving the ball in a space to create for her team.
"In preparation, we give them ideas about what you do with whatever you might face," head coach Angela Kelly said. "Texas A&M had a couple different looks tonight, and we had solutions."
Even though Texas A&M wanted to stay in its tight shape, its plan fell apart when freshman forward Amalia Villarreal was shown too much space and took advantage of it. Standing around 30 yards outside the goal, the forward beat three defenders, shifting in between two of them in the process, and found herself in a one-versus-one situation against freshman goalkeeper Sydney Fuller. Villarreal was then able to slot the ball past Fuller, finding the net in the eighth minute and her fourth goal of the season.
"She had a fantastic night ... she's a tremendous player," Kelly said. "We were really excited for this whole freshman class to get here and we're really excited for the future Texas soccer."
While senior goalkeeper Mia Justus and her defense prevented the Aggies from seeing any success in the final third, Villarreal once again stole the show in the first period. With the ball at her feet outside the 18-yard-box, the freshman slipped a ball past two Aggie defenders finding senior midfielder Ashlyn Miller. The senior poked the ball around Fuller and then shot it into an empty net, gifting Villarreal her fifth assist of the season. She has now tallied up 13 points across her eight goal contributions.
The Longhorns kept its 2-0 lead going into the break, but the Longhorn's lead was put under serious threat just four minutes into the second period. With sophomore forward Taylor Jernigan breaking free in the 18-yard-box, junior defender Breana Thompson made a last-ditch tackle, halting the Aggies best attempt at breaking the clean sheet.
A time stoppage ensued after Thompson stayed on the ground hurt and referee Corey Rockwell reviewed the tackle for a penalty. Thankfully for the Longhorns, it was revealed that Thompson nicked the ball in time and also could continue the game and seal the shutout with the rest of the defense, regardless of the Aggies' 11 shots in the second period.
"I thought our back line and our team defense was fantastic and saw a lot of grit. I'm really proud of the squad." Kelly said.
This was the Longhorns first time facing the Aggies since Nov. 11, 2022, when they met in the NCAA tournament. The Longhorns won 3-1, with Miller also scoring in that game.
"We haven't played them very much since I've been here and it's a huge rivalry," Kelly said. "That's what the fans all love to speak about. When there's a trophy on the line, you get excited to win that."
The Longhorns return to the soccer field in Gainesville to take on the Florida Gators on Friday at 6 p.m.
