Texas women’s soccer to Finals

GoHorns1 · November 8

Texas women’s soccer defeated Arkansas in 2OT 2-1 to advance to Finals of SEC tournament against South Carolina.🤘🤘🤘

GoHorns1 · November 8

PENSACOLA, Fla. – When the soccer ball left Lauren Lapomarda's foot in the 108th minute of No. 21 Texas' 2-1 double overtime win over No. 5 Arkansas on Thursday night, the fifth-year defender felt "a little shaky, a little hesitant."

Moments later, Lapomarda felt on top of the world as the 5-foot-2 Prosper, Texas native was jumping up and down, celebrating what was not only Lapomarda's fourth career goal, but also having earned the program's first-ever spot in the SEC Soccer Tournament following the outcome.

Twenty days after the two programs combined for a seven-goal match in Austin on Friday, Oct. 18, Thursday night's contest was a much lower scoring affair courtesy of the Longhorn defense, especially goalkeeper Mia Justus.

After allowing a one-timer off the foot of Kennedy Ball into the upper-right corner of the goal during the 16th minute, Justus kept her team in the match by going on to make 12 of her career-high 14 saves after Arkansas took a 1-0 lead. Once a Razorback own goal during the 39th minute tied the match, 1-1, both teams' goalkeepers did not allow any shot in the net.

Until Lapomarda's goal with 1:22 remaining in the double overtime period.

As the Texas offense was looking to break down the Arkansas defense in the closing minutes of the match's second 10-minute extra frame, freshman Chloe Shimkin sent a pass between two Razorback defenders towards senior Ashlyn Miller, who sent a one-touch pass backwards to defender Madison Haugen.

Looking to send the ball into the 18-yard attacking box, the first-year Longhorn's pass was headed away for goal before Lapomarda ran onto the loose ball. As Lapomarda looked to find an entry point for a service pass back into the box with Arkansas' 5-foot-9 midfielder Kennedy Ball defending her, the fifth-year Longhorn hit a hesitation move on her defender, which allowed herself to look up at the placement of Razorback goalkeeper Keegan Smith.

Noticing the freshman goalkeeper was playing the near post, Lapomarda sent a shot from nearly 30 yards out over the outstretching Smith and into the back of the net to end Thursday night's marathon match and prolong Texas' stay in the 2024 SEC Soccer Tournament.

FROM HEAD COACH ANGELA KELLY

"There was a lot of adversity for our squad tonight in that match. But yeah, we talk about getting in the wide areas and she got into the wide area. I felt the match was either going into (penalty kicks) or end with something like that. Somebody had to be on the end of the finish and Lapo has definitely given everything and more for this program. I'm sure that's something she'll never forget and that's one this program will never forget either."

FROM SENIOR DEFENDER LAUREN LAPOMARDA

"Shoutout to the team; everyone did a phenomenal job. You have to give credit to Arkansas, too. They are a great team; top five team in the country and we are grateful they gave us a great battle. We knew we had to get something going and start putting the pressure on them. I was going and got the ball and thought, 'Why not me?', 'Why not us?'. 'Why not Texas?' I saw their keeper playing up and noticed the back post and said, 'Why not?'

MATCH NOTES

Mia Justus' 14 saves in 108:38 of action on Thursday night were not only a career high for the Texas senior goalkeeper, but was tied with Jaime Strong for 10th on the program's single-match list after Strong was credited with 14 at then-No. 22 San Diego on Oct. 28, 1996.
- Justus' 14 saves are the most in a single match by a Texas goalkeeper since the turn of the millennia (2000).
- Also, the 14 saves by the Ohio native is the most by a Texas goalkeeper in a postseason match.
Thursday night's result was the first (single or double) overtime victory at the SEC Soccer Tournament for Texas head coach Angela Kelly since Nov. 10, 2002, when her then-Tennessee squad beat Florida, 2-1, in double overtime.
Lauren Lapomarda's "Golden Goal" was the first match-ending goal for Texas since Trinity Byars scored the match winner in the 103rd minute to beat Samford on Sept. 16, 2021.
- Additionally, Lapomarda's goal was the first "Golden Goal" for Texas in a postseason conference tournament since Nov. 4, 2009, when Hannah Higgins scored in the 107th minute to beat Colorado, 1-0, in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Championship.
With Thursday night's outcome, Mia Justus won her 15th match on the season, tying Savannah Madden (2022) for fourth on the program's single-season win list.
- Justus' 32 wins over a two-season span (2023, 2024) are tied with Dianna Pfenninger (2006, 2007) for the most in program history.
Thursday night marked the second consecutive season that the Texas women's soccer program beat a top five nationally ranked team in the semifinals of a conference tournament.
- In 2023, an unranked Texas team knocked off then-No. 4 Texas Tech, 1-0, in the semifinals of the Big 12 Conference Championship on Nov. 1, 2023.

UP NEXT

In its first season in the SEC, Texas (15-3-2) will play in the final of the 2024 SEC Soccer Tournament on Sunday, Nov. 10, when the third-seeded Longhorns take on the fourth-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks (10-2-7) at 1:30 p.m.

FOLLOW US

For the latest information on the team, follow @TexasSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at @TexasLonghorns on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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