FROM SEC SPORTS: Mia Justus makes seven saves and Carly Montgomery scores the game-deciding goal in the 80th minute to secure a 1-0 victory over South Carolina for the Longhorns’ first-ever SEC title.
History. It can be written as quickly as a blind of an eye. It can occur with 88 seconds left in a double-overtime match or it can happen with 11 minutes remaining in regulation.
On Sunday afternoon, it was the later scenario for The University of Texas women’s soccer program as a Carly Montgomery goal during the 79th minute not only gave the No. 21 Longhorns a 1-0 win over No. 14 South Carolina, but also gave the Texas athletic department its first SEC Championship since the institution joined the league on July 1, 2024.
Following a first half that saw not only South Carolina be credited with seven shot attempts compared to Texas’ three but also the beginning of a torrential downpour that blanketed the soccer pitch with constant rain for the remainder of the match, the Gamecocks returned to the pitch after halftime and continued looking for a break-through goal. Despite shooting the ball six times over the course of the second half’s first five minutes, the goal never came.
It didn’t come on Brianna Behm’s shot in the 59th minute or Catherine Barry’s attempt during the 65th minute.
But it did come from Texas. And it came in the form of sophomore Carly Montgomery’s second goal of the season, her first since Texas’ 3-1 win against San Diego State on Sept. 5, 2024.
After having just three shot attempts throughout the first 30 minutes of the second half, Lexi Missimo (three attempts), Ashlyn Miller (one) and Amalia Villarreal (one) combined for five attempts on goal over a four-minute stretch that proceeded Montgomery’s moment.
As Villarreal’s shot was block by a Gamecock defender and rolled out of bounds, the Texas offense was awarded its second corner kick in a 49-second span. And just like the first kick that led to Villarreal’s shot attempt, Missimo’s second corner kick found a Longhorn teammate: Montgomery.
With Villarreal gaining attention from Gamecock players while moving around in the 6-yard box, the 5-foot-10 defender out of Charlotte, North Carolina broke away from her defender and headed Missimo’s corner kick past multiple South Carolina players manning the goal line, including goalkeeper Tsaousis Christina to push the Longhorns ahead, 1-0, on the scoreboard.
Holly Ward had two looks over the last 10 minutes to extend the Longhorn lead but her shot seven seconds after Montgomery’s goal was blocked, while an attempt with 22 seconds left in the game was saved by Tsaousis.
South Carolina had two looks at a match-tying goal over the last five minutes, but a shot by Corinna Zullo was saved by Mia Justus, before a shot off the foot of Catherine Barry went wide right of the frame during the 85th minute. After Barry’s shot, the Gamecocks were not credited with a shot attempt for the remainder of the match.
FROM HEAD COACH ANGELA KELLY
“I’m so incredibly proud of this team. Just what a battle, right? We didn’t have much left in the tank after the other night, but the fact that the score at half today was one that we liked, it gave us the ability to open up the press a little more with only 45 minutes left. We weathered the first half and then opened up during the second half and executed a wonderful set piece.”
FROM DEFENDER CARLY MONTGOMERY
“Mia Justus really said it well: we learned a lot about our mentality by having to travel to Pensacola for the SEC Tournament with a target on our back. We really learned a lot about ourselves and that really took us to another level. I think we are peaking at the right time.”
MATCH NOTES
Texas goalkeeper Mia Justus, defender Breana Thompson, midfielder Lexi Missimo and forward Holly Ward were all selected to the SEC’s All-Tournament Team.
Justus, additionally, was named the tournament’s most valuable player after recording two clean sheets in three Longhorn victories on the week.
By earning the clean sheet against South Carolina on Sunday afternoon, second-year Longhorn Mia Justus set Texas’ single-season clean sheet record with 12, breaking a tie with Nicole Curry (2017).
With the win, Mia Justus has now won three conference championships in three different conferences over her four-year collegiate women’s soccer career: 2021 (ACC), 2023 (Big 12), 2024 (SEC).
Texas head coach Angela Kelly has now won five total SEC Championships throughout the course of her collegiate coaching career: 2002, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2024.
With Sunday afternoon’s result, Texas has now won 16 matches this season, which is two shy of tying the program’s single season wins record (18) set throughout the 2006 season.
Sunday’s outcome marked the first-ever win for Texas over South Carolina in the Longhorns’ program history.
By knocking off the No. 14 South Carolina Gamecocks, Texas now has won back-to-back matches over top 25 ranked opponents for the first time since winning three straight on Nov. 1 (No. 4 Texas Tech), Nov. 4 (No. 6 BYU), and Nov. 17, 2023 (No. 12 Wisconsin).
