Ava McDonald stayed hot on Sunday night, and Texas rode her latest finish to a 1-0 win over No. 19/14 TCU at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium in Fort Worth.
The sophomore scored for the second straight match, and her 68th-minute blast from the top of the box was the difference. Off a corner kick, McDonald hammered a rocket into the upper-right corner and sent the Longhorns into a celebration.
The result gave Texas a 5-1-1 mark and delivered the program its first ranked win under head coach Margueritte Bates.
Even before McDonald broke through, Texas had spent most of the night on the front foot. The Longhorns finished with a 17-6 edge in shots and a 10-4 advantage in shots on goal, keeping the Horned Frogs under pressure throughout the match.
TCU’s Olivia Geller had to work early and often to keep it level. Texas created its best first-half looks in the final 15 minutes before the break, starting in the 31st minute when Amalia Villarreal slipped down the end line, worked into the box and found Addie Brink from six yards out. Geller erased that chance with a point-blank save.
A few minutes later, McDonald sent a low ball toward the penalty spot and Callan Harrington broke free behind the defense, but Geller came off her line to force Harrington wide before the shot was blocked.
Then, with less than 75 seconds left in the half, Villarreal got in behind again and tested Geller with a chip shot, only to see the TCU keeper leap and tip it over the bar to keep the game scoreless at the break.
Texas kept pressing after halftime. Geller was called on again in the 61st minute and then once more in the 63rd, turning away attempts from McDonald and Audrey Bryant before McDonald finally finished the job moments later.
Bayliss Flynn made four saves for Texas, and the Longhorns came away with their fifth clean sheet in seven matches.
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