Texas Soccer Advances to SEC Championship Final With Golden Goal

Texas fifth-year defender Lauren Lapomarda won the game in double overtime.

Sep 28, 2023; Austin, Texas, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers forward Jordyn Wilson (11) and Texas Longhorns defender Lauren Lapomarda (25) battle for the ball during the match at Mike A. Myers Stadium and Soccer Field in Austin, Texas. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Texas soccer was the first team to debut in the Southeastern Conference. Yesterday, it became the first to advance to the conference tournament final.

The Longhorns faced second-seeded Arkansas in Pensacola. The two teams had met during the regular season in Austin and the Horns fell 4-3 to the Razorbacks, this time the fate would be different.

Arkansas sophomore midfielder Kennedy Ball struck first, and the Hogs were up 1-0 at halftime. A second half own goal leveled the game, and neither team managed to find the winner before the end of the 90 minutes of regulation time.

In NCAA soccer knockouts, if a game is tied by the end of the two halves, two 10 minutes extra time halves can be played. Unlike many professional competitions, it still adheres to the usage of the Golden Goal -- meaning the next goal wins the game. If no one scores in the 20 minute extra time, it goes to penalties.

The first overtime remained the same, 1-1. The second looked to move in the same direction until graduate defender Lauren Lapomarda took a chance and found the back of the net for the Horns. That was it. Texas advanced to the final.

Lapomarda is the broke the program record of most career matches in early October with her 92nd game, but this winner was only the fourth goal of her career.

"It's not an easy tournament to win," head coach Angela Kelly said. "It's a grind. All the teams here are fantastic...I feel fortunate to be in this spot and feel really fortunate to represent the University of Texas with this squad. It's a special group."

The team advanced to the final despite the loss of two key players to season-ending-injuries in defender EmJ Cox and forward Trinity Byars, who became the first player to sign a professional contract in the NWSL after the league abolished the draft. Byars signed with the San Diego Wave.

Texas will face South Carolina for the conference championship on Sunday.