USWNT prospect Lexi Missimo continues record-breaking season with Texas Longhorns

(Photo Credit: Texas Athletics)

ORLANDO, Fla. – Viewers tuned into Thursday afternoon’s ESPNU broadcast not only witnessed Texas come from behind to beat UCF, 3-1, but they also saw history made by Longhorn junior midfielder Lexi Missimo.

Traveling to Orlando needing just one goal to become the first student-athlete in Texas women’s soccer history to record a 15-goal, 15-assist season, Missimo waited nearly 21 minutes of game time before sending a Holly Ward pass into the bottom right corner of the net from 20 yards out for her 15th goal on the season and 33rd for her career.

It was the Longhorns’ second goal of the match after Ashlyn Miller sent a ball soaring into the top-right corner of the goal from nearly 40 yards out to tie the match, 1-1, at the 18-minute mark.

no one has scored more points in a single season in program history than No. 1⃣0⃣@hollyyward13 | @trinitybyars | @MissimoLexi pic.twitter.com/bqBs5gNXbQ

— Texas Soccer (@TexasSoccer) October 5, 2023

After the two teams battled back and forth for the next 61 minutes, Missimo all but shut the door on the evening after she put a Trinity Byars pass into the back of the net for her 16th goal on the season, pushing her season point total to 48 and passing Kelly Wilson’s single-season points record (46) set during the 2004 campaign.

She will now enter Sunday’s conference matchup against Iowa State needing just one goal to tie Trinity Byars’ single-season goals mark (17) set in 2022.

Lexi Missimo had a beauty of a brace in @TexasSoccer’s 3-1 win over UCF pic.twitter.com/sCtzs6tZhL

— Longhorn Network (@LonghornNetwork) October 5, 2023

“We had trouble with (UCF) my freshman year — losing 4-0 — so getting the revenge and being able to pull out the win just feels so good,” Missimo said. “Personally, having the ability to shoot from distance really helped me tonight. I think that’s been the difference for me from last year to this year and it’s been working.”

Less than a week ago, Missimo set the new program record for assists in a single season, when she recorded her 16th assist of 2023 on October 1 against Kansas.

Starring alongside Missimo, Byars has now been credited with 35 points on the season, which ties the junior forward with Kelsey Carpenter (2006) for sixth on the program’s single-season point list. Byars is now four points shy of becoming the only student-athlete in program history to record multiple seasons with 39-or-more points after totaling 43 in 2022.

Texas (9-3-2, 3-2-1) will look for its 10th win on the season and sixth at home when the Longhorns play Iowa State (4-8-1, 1-4-0) at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 8.