Texas Longhorns capture Big 12 Championship with 3-1 win over BYU

ROUND ROCK, Texas – In its final season in the league, The Texas women’s soccer program will arrive in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) next season as the reigning Big 12 Conference Champions following the Longhorns’ 3-1 win over No. 6 BYU in the finals of the 2023 Big 12 Soccer Championship on Saturday night.

The result gives the program its first postseason Big 12 championship since 2007, when the Longhorns capped a two-championship-in-two-year span after also earning the trophy in 2006. The victory over the Cougars also gives Texas head coach Angela Kelly her first postseason conference tournament title in her 12 seasons at the helm of the program.

Much like when the two programs met at Mike A. Myers Stadium on Monday, Sept. 25, Lexi Missimo netted the match’s first goal. Only this time, instead of the score coming at the 4:18 mark in the first half, Missmo found the back of the net 1:58 after the match kicked off.

Not even seven minutes later, Brecken Mozingo scored the match-tying goal for BYU. However, to differ from the regular-season matchup, the Longhorn defense tightened down on the nation’s top goal scoring offense and did not allow the Cougars another score over the course of the remaining 82:36.

But that didn’t stop Missimo from adding to her season goal total.

On a play similar to one that occurred during Texas’ quarterfinal win over West Virginia on Monday, Oct. 30, Trinity Byars was fouled inside the attacking 18-yard box, forcing the referee to reward the Longhorns with a penalty kick opportunity. An opportunity that Missimo converted with ease to push her season total to 24 goals while remaining perfect (8-8) on penalty kick attempts this season.

No. 10’s second brace against BYU this season ?#HookEm | @MissimoLexi pic.twitter.com/ARZ9dD9916

— Texas Soccer (@TexasSoccer) November 5, 2023

Less than two minutes after BYU nearly tied the match with a header that Mia Justus made a diving save for, Holly Ward all but put the match away with a strike into the bottom-left corner of the goal and extend the Texas lead to two goals with 15 minutes to play.

The high-potent Cougar offense only managed two shots that rest of the way.

“I’m happy. I’m happy for this squad. I’m happy for the student-athletes. They’ve worked so hard for this. It’s exciting to do this now that we are moving onto a different conference,” said Kelly. “I just want to really thank the Big 12. We’ve had a wonderful time here with them. There are wonderful people at the Big 12 head office. And I want to thank our administration for hosting at the last minute. With all this support, I’m just really happy to be a part of The University of Texas.”

Having now earned the Big 12 Conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament as a result of Saturday evening’s match, Texas (15-4-2) will find out its next postseason opponent during the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Selection Show on Monday, Nov. 6 at 3 p.m. CT / 4 p.m. ET.

MATCH NOTES

Following the match, Lexi Missimo and Mia Justus were named the Sprouts Farmers Market Big 12 Soccer Championship Most Outstanding Offensive and Defensive Players, respectively.
- Missimo is the first Longhorn to win the award since Dianna Pfenninger did so in 2007.
- For Justus, she’s the first Texas women’s soccer student-athlete to be named the tournament’s top defensive player since Kasey Moore was selected in 2007.
With her two goals on the night, Lexi Missimo has now recorded a brace — two goals in a single match — in all four of Texas’ matches this season against newcomers to the Big 12 Conference.
With her two scores on the evening, Lexi Missimo moved into fifth place on the Big 12 Conference’s single-season goals list with 24, three back of tying for second place and nine back of taking over the top spot.
Additionally, Lexi Missimo became the first Texas women’s soccer student-athlete to record multiple braces in the same Big 12 Conference Championship after she scored two goals in the Longhorns’ quarterfinal and final matches.