Texas soccer shuts out Kansas, 2-0, jumps into tie for third in Big 12
By Steve Lansdale
AUSTIN, Texas — Midfielders Kayra Dollas and Haley Berg each scored a goal, and goalkeeper Nicole Curry made seven saves en route to her 15th career shutout to lift the No. 17 Texas soccer team to a 2-0 victory over Kansas at Mike A. Myers Stadium.
The victory, UT’s 10th straight at home, lifted its record to 12-2-1 overall, and more importantly, lifted the Longhorns over the Jayhawks in the Big 12 standings with two regular-season games to go. Texas is now 4-2-1 in conference games, while KU, which fell to 10-4-2 overall, is now 4-3 in league games. The Longhorns now are tied for third with TCU and Texas Tech in the conference with 13 points.
After Sunday’s final home game at 1 p.m. against Kansas State, UT closes out the regular season Thursday against the Red Raiders in a game that could be critical as far as seedings for the 2018 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship in Kansas City.
Dollas scored what proved to be the only goal her team would need Friday, her second of the season, when she buried a penalty kick in the 25th minute. Berg’s insurance goal, her fifth tally of the year, came in the 86th minute from about nine yards out, on assists by Alexa Adams and Katie Glenn.
While the Longhorns came away with the critical victory, it’s not like they ran the Jayhawks out of the stadium. Kansas outshot Texas, 12-9, and enjoyed a 7-3 edge in shots on goal … but two of UT’s shots got past KU goalkeeper Sarah Peters, while Curry mustered seven saves on the other end. Texas enjoyed a 7-5 edge in corner kicks, a statistic many use as a gauge of possession, and how much time is spent on each end of the field.
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