After a challenging 5–0 loss against No. 1 ranked Vanderbilt on the road on Oct. 23, the Longhorns returned home with a vengeance to face No. 24 ranked Auburn at Mike A. Meyers Stadium Sunday.
A chippy, defensive-heavy game led to a 0-0 draw between the Longhorns and the Tigers in the final game of the regular season, giving Texas an overall record of 8-4-5.
In head coach Margueritte Bates’ first year with the Longhorns, she transformed the team from a 4-12-1 record and a winning percentage of 26.5% in 2025 to a 61.8% win percentage so far this season.
After Sunday’s result, Texas sits at sixth place in the current Southeastern Conference standings with a conference record of 3-3-4. The Longhorns have already secured their ticket to the SEC Soccer Tournament on Nov. 8, but with plenty of games remaining, seeding is still up in the air.
The draw also propelled the Tigers to a current fourth place spot in the SEC and a conference record of 4-2-4, but their rank is still subject to change as well.
In today’s match, both offenses struggled to start the game. The first shot on goal by either team came in the 25th minute by Texas’ sophomore forward Ava McDonald.
The first shot on target by either team finally came in the 36th minute from Auburn’s junior midfielder Kennedy Husbands, but was saved by Texas senior goalkeeper Bayliss Flynn. The half ended with only five total shots by both teams.
Again, Texas’ defense succeeded in drawing opponents offside. The Tigers were called offside four times in the first 35 minutes, with three more in the second half for a total of seven offside calls.
This, combined with a stellar performance from Flynn, stopped the Tigers from finding the back of the net all game. Flynn ended with three saves.
The second half saw much more offensive pressure from both sides. Texas totaled seven second half shots while Auburn had five. McDonald led the opportunities for Texas with a total of three shots, and junior forward Amalia Villarreal contributed two.
15 fouls highlighted the score sheet for the highly-contested game. Nine came from Texas, and six from Auburn, including a yellow card from senior defender Eva Pattison in the 34th minute.
While final conference standings have yet to be set, the Longhorns look ahead to the SEC tournament starting Nov. 8. The SEC’s top 12 teams will face off in an eight-day, single-elimination style tournament.
