No. 8 Tennessee soccer took on the Texas Longhorns in Austin, Texas, Friday night. The Lady Vols and Longhorns drew two goals apiece.
Shae O’Rourke struck first, with her third goal of the season, to put the Lady Vols ahead in the 11th minute. Cora Fry served up the assist. That made the seventh time this season that Tennessee had scored in the first 12 minutes of a match.
Texas appeared to have answered quickly in the 15th minute. Ava McDonald took the ball up the side and established position against Nyla Blue by pulling on her jersey. McDonald then found Ashlyn Anderson, who put in a shot. However, a review caught that foul on McDonald, which wiped away the goal.
Tennessee struggled to hold possession against Texas early. The Longhorns took several shots in the first half, but the Lady Vols defense would hinder their efforts until Texas scored back-to-back goals by Mya Brandon and Anderson in the 27th and 28th minutes. The Longhorns became the first team this season to score more than one goal on the Lady Vols.
Texas took the 2-1 lead into the half and held a shot advantage of 6-2 with three shots on goal to Tennessee’s one. In the second half, Devin Davis nearly equalized the game in the 52nd minute, but her shot hit the crossbar.
It was a physical match on both teams’ part. Texas goalkeeper Bayliss Flinn received a yellow card in the 66th minute, giving Olivia Feagan a penalty shot. Feagan kept her shot low, and Flinn saved. But shortly after, the Lady Vols tied the match, 2-2, on a Kylee Simmons goal in the 68th minute. Simmons scored off an O’Rourke assist on a perfect cross from the right side. That was Simmons’ fourth goal of the season.
In the 70th minute, Texas’ EmJ Witt exited the game after she obtained a red card. The Longhorns played the rest of the match down one player. As for Tennessee, they finished the night with 10 fouls to Texas’ six. The Lady Vols could not add another goal, even with a 9-2 second-half shot advantage over the Longhorns.
With the draw, Tennessee remains unbeaten and moves to 6-0-2 on the season. The Lady Vols will return home to host the Mississippi State Bulldogs Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, at 7 p.m. EDT at Regal Soccer Stadium. The match will be televised on ESPNU.
