After a grueling 110 minutes of gameplay and a penalty kick shootout to follow, Texas came out with a hard-fought victory after junior midfielder Amalia Villarreal secured the final shot and sent the Longhorns to the next round of the Southeastern Conference Soccer Tournament.
The No. 9-seeded Longhorns began their path toward their second-ever SEC championship on Sunday afternoon, facing off against No. 8-seeded Mississippi State at Ashton Brosnaham Soccer Complex in Pensacola, Florida, to begin the tournament.
Announced Thursday before the tournament began, three Longhorns were selected for all-SEC nominations for the regular season. Villarreal, along with sophomore forward Ava McDonald, was selected for first team, while freshman midfielder Caroline Swann was awarded an all-SEC freshman team selection.
The three showed out Sunday against the Bulldogs. McDonald had eight shots with five on goal, Swann had one shot and Villarreal had three and the game-winning penalty kick.
In a single-elimination tournament, this was a crucial, must-win game. During regulation, the Longhorns’ defensive tenacity reflected this importance.
The back line held it down and prevented the Bulldogs from finding a single shot on goal in the first half and only two the whole game, including overtime.
On the other side of the field, the Longhorns had 19 shots, with almost half of them coming off the foot of McDonald.
Throughout the game, McDonald did a fantastic job of creating space offensively. She was able to find the gaps in the defensive line, and found herself in the box with the ball at her feet countless times.
Villarreal and Swann, along with the rest of the Longhorns’ midfield, sparked these chances, offering well-played passes through the Bulldogs’ defense.
One of these opportunities for Texas found the back of the net, but was called back for offsides in the 68th minute.
While the regulation score ended 0–0, statistically, the Longhorns dominated with 19 shots to the Bulldogs’ 12 and 11 corner kicks to four. This, combined with the strength of their defense, proves hopeful for the next match in the tournament.
The Longhorns look to face No. 1-seeded Vanderbilt this Tuesday, Nov. 10. After falling to the Commodores 5–0 in the regular season, the Longhorns look to use the momentum of Sunday’s win to carry them through.
