No. 25/18 Texas built a two-goal cushion in the first half Friday night, but Kentucky flipped the match after the break and handed the Longhorns a 3-2 loss at Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex in Lexington, Ky.
The defeat snapped Texas’ four-match unbeaten run. The Longhorns moved to 7-3-3 overall and 2-2-2 in SEC play, while Kentucky improved to 7-5-1 and 3-2-1 in the league.
Texas got rolling early behind Amalia Villarreal, the reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Week, who scored for the third time in two matches with a right-footed blast from 20 yards out. Not long after, Villarreal was involved again, slipping a through ball to Ava McDonald, who sent a first-touch cross across the front of the goal for Audrey Bryant to finish with her right foot.
That 2-0 edge held until Kentucky started to turn the game. The Wildcats cut into the lead in the 58th minute when Rayna Powers got on the end of a service from Elise Ernest, with the ball deflecting off a defender and sneaking through. Eight minutes later, Kentucky drew level on Ernest’s header after Michelle Moskau lofted a ball into the box from midfield.
Then came the late blow. In the 90th minute, Kyla Dawn found the loose ball off a corner kick and drove it into the bottom left corner for her team-leading 10th goal, giving Kentucky its first ranked win of the season.
Texas still finished with the shot advantage, 12-11, and led that category 9-5 in the first half.
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Texas Gets A Rivalry Boost From A Familiar Face Returning
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Smothers is healthy again and expected to be available for the Red River Rivalry against the Sooners, the program he once called home. For Texas, that adds both depth and a little extra bite to a matchup that rarely needs any help getting there. [Read more 🡒]
Red River Just Got More Personal For Texas In A New Way
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Livingstone has not been as productive at Oklahoma so far this season, but his presence still gives Texas another reason to pay attention to who is lining up across from it. Arch Manning noted the personal dynamics that can come with former teammates facing each other, which only underscores how much this game can stretch beyond the scoreboard. For Texas, the rivalry now carries a little extra locker-room history, and the Longhorns will see exactly how that plays once the teams take the field. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Could Get A Huge Red River Boost At Perfect Time
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For a rivalry game that often comes down to depth as much as star power, that kind of reinforcements matters. Texas is still navigating the usual injury uncertainty this time of year, with several players from both sides listed as questionable or unavailable, but the Longhorns at least appear to be moving in the right direction at the perfect moment. [Read more 🡒]