AMES, Iowa – On a brisk Thursday night at the Cyclone Soccer Stadium, the No. 23 Texas soccer squad (11-1-4, 5-0-2 Big 12 Conference) stretched its unbeaten streak to a school record-tying 14 consecutive matches after battling Iowa State (3-9-4, 0-6-2 Big 12 Conference) to a 1-1 draw.
In the process, the Longhorns also extended their unbeaten run in Big 12 Conference regular-season play to 16 straight contests over a stretch of 713 days dating back to Nov. 6, 2020, at Texas Tech.
Texas Match Notes
- A win in either of the last two Big 12 matches of the season against Oklahoma State or Oklahoma would clinch Texas at least a share of its first Big 12 regular-season championship since 2001.
- With TCU’s 2-1 loss at Oklahoma on Thursday, Texas is now tied on points (17) with Texas Tech in the race for the Big 12 regular-season title with a match in hand. The Red Raiders have just one league contest remaining, while both Texas and TCU (14 points) have two matches left.
- Sophomore forward Trinity Byars scored her career-high and Big 12-leading 13th goal of the season in the 68th minute to pull Texas level.
- Byars also stretched her point-scoring streak to six consecutive matches. That marks the second longest such skein of her career (eight games – Sept. 12-Oct. 8, 2021) and is tied for the third-longest streak in program history.
- In her return from a lengthy injury layoff, sophomore midfielder Lexi Missimo played 63 minutes while recording her ninth assist of the year to tie Byars for the Big 12 Conference lead.
- Texas led Iowa State in total shots, 21-7, but tied 3-3 in shots on goal. UT also dominated the corner kick category with a 10-2 advantage.
The Details
Texas cranked up the offensive pressure right from the opening kick as sophomore midfielder Jilly Shimkin registered the match’s first shot for either team on an 18-yard blocked shot at 2:43.
At the other end, a UT turnover just outside the top of the box led to Iowa State’s first attempt as Mira Emma blasted over the top from 20 yards (5:08).
Against the early run of play, Iowa State came close to an early breakthrough off a free kick. After a Texas foul was called a few yards outside the top of the box, ISU fed a ball in towards the back post. Waiting in some space was Sophia Thomas but her nine-yard volley rattled off the top of the cross bar at 11:30.
Iowa State settled into the match over the next 10 minutes with the Cyclones managing more possession.
During the 33rd minute, another free kick started a scoring chance for ISU. Off a cross from outside the top right corner of the box, Jasmine Colbert hit a 14-yard shot on frame, but it was saved by Texas graduate goalkeeper Savannah Madden.
Shimkin registered a shot off a Texas corner kick at 35:22, but her seven-yard try from the right side of the box traveled wide right.
Bracketed throughout the contest by multiple Cyclone defenders, Byars registered her first shot of the match at 36:32 as her quick turnaround effort from 15 yards out was blocked and cleared.
The Longhorns had two good offensive chances during the 43rd and 44th minutes. In her return to action following a long injury layoff, Missimo had a volley blocked out for a corner at 42:57. Off the ensuing set piece, sophomore defender EmJ Cox leapt above the crowd to head a ball towards frame, but watched her 12-yard attempt drift wide left.
With just 42 seconds left in the opening stanza, Iowa State’s Jada Colbert watched her own 15-yard shot soar over the woodwork.
Off a corner kick just 1:53 into the second half, Cox had a golden chance on a header from five yards out, but her shot deflected off an Iowa State defender and out of play.
Texas continued its pressure over the next few minutes as sophomore forward Holly Ward had a 15-yard shot from the left wing venture over the top at 47:50, while Shimkin had an attempt from the top of the box blocked at 48:53.
With the Horns swarming around the offensive third, Shimkin fired high of frame from 18 yards out at 51:37.
Iowa State eventually broke the scoreless deadlock off a corner kick in the 57th minute. On a delivery in towards the left post, the ball was headed back across the face of goal. Waiting about six yards out to head the ball into the twine was Chloe Broughton to hand the Cyclones a 1-0 lead.
During the 63 rd minute, the woodwork denied the Longhorns. Missimo crossed a ball from the right side of the 18-yard box that was deflected by Iowa State goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz out to her right. The ball rattled off the left post before popping back out front where the Cyclones cleared their lines.
After threatening so many times throughout, Texas finally got on the scoreboard at 67:14. As they’ve done so many times in their Burnt Orange & White careers, Missimo and Byars worked a perfect one-two to tie the match. Byars started the play with a pass to Missimo near the top of the box, drove towards frame and accepted a lofted return feed from Missimo. The Richardson, Texas, didn’t waste her chance as she finished into the twine on a leaping seven-yard shot to make it 1-1.
Byars threatened again at the 70:03 mark as her 12-yard blast was blocked away by an Iowa State defender.
During the 79th minute, the Cyclones drew a foul up towards midfield. A long ISU delivery into the middle of the box looked promising, but Madden quickly snuffed any threat by racing off her line to make a catch.
Texas continued firing away down the stretch as fifth-year senior midfielder Emma Regan (80:07), Ward (86:07) and fifth-year senior defender Carlee Allen (87:01) all had attempts go high or get blocked.
Things got really chaotic over the last 1:15 of match action. First, Iowa State’s Jada Colbert drove a low 19-yard shot on frame that Madden managed to save through a crowd.
With just 48 seconds remaining, Shimkin somehow broke in 1-v-1 for Texas against the Iowa State keeper, but was denied from point-blank range by Silkowitz as the match ended in a deadlock.