By Mya Mimbs
The last time Tennessee faced Texas in soccer was in 1997, and it ended in a 2-0 victory for the Volunteers at Regal Stadium. Now, nearly 30 years later in Mike A. Myers Stadium, the teams faced off again, this time in a conference setting.
The Longhorns did not come to mess around, hoping to bounce back from a 3-1loss against the Razorbacks. On the flip side, the No. 8 Volunteers came in with plans to keep their winning streak alive after a 3-1 win over their first conference opponent, LSU.
It was a physical game, with shoves, pushes, and cards being thrown around left and right. Nonetheless, the Tennessee soccer team fought hard; however, their best result was a 2-2 tie in Austin.
The match began with an electric energy buzzing through both teams. Tennessee came out in its orange uniforms; in stark contrast, Texas wore bright white jerseys.
The Volunteers had an intense expectation placed on their shoulders: score within the first 12 minutes. They had managed a goal within this short timespan in six of their seven games, and tonight was no different. Tennessee’s first goal found its mark halfway through the 10th minute. Shae O’Rourke made a strong shot right past Texas goalkeeper Bayliss Flynn.
While Volunteer goalkeeper Norris Cayden came into the match having allowed only three goals past her the entire season, that would change.
In the 14th minute, Longhorn Ashlyn Anderson scored on a precise shot — tying up the match, or so everyone thought. After a closer look by the video assistant referee, the goal was disallowed for an offensive holding foul.
While Texas’ first goal may have been called back, its second was not. In the 26th minute, Mya Brandon found her opening and unleashed a shot into the bottom center of the net.
This marked only the fourth goal allowed by the Volunteers the entire season. However, that statistic would not last the entire game.
Only 49 seconds later, in the 27th minute, the Longhorns struck again. Anderson, assisted by Ava McDonald and Brandon, took her shot in the bottom left between the posts and scored Texas’ second goal of the night.
This marked the first time the Volunteers had trailed any team the entire season.
The rest of the half finished uneventfully, with only one shot off target by the Longhorns.
After a 10-minute halftime, both teams came back out ready to play, though with different goals. Texas aspired to maintain its lead and knock off a ranked conference opponent, while Tennessee wanted to claw its way back to a victory over the Longhorns.
The second half was even more physical than the first. Both teams wanted to win, and with every step, breath, and action, their desire was evident.
This physicality reached a new high in the 62nd minute when Tennessee’s Ayva Jordan received the first card of the game. Jordan was given a yellow card for unsporting behavior.
While Tennessee may have been the first of the two teams awarded a card, it would not be the last.
Only three minutes later, in the 65th minute, Longhorns goalkeeper Flynn also received a yellow card for unsporting behavior after a two-legged tackle on Jordan.
Through both these cards, the Tennessee Volunteers managed to score an equalizer in the 67th minute. Kylee Simmons headed the ball into the back of the net, tying the game 2-2.
The peak of physicality came in the 69th minute, when Longhorns player EmJ Witt received a red card. She was sent off the field, leaving Texas with only 10 players for the rest of the match.
While this presented an opportunity to capitalize on the Longhorns’ player deficit, the Volunteers were unable to put another shot between the posts.
UP NEXT: The Volunteers take on Mississippi State on Sept. 24 at Regal Stadium in their first SEC home game.