Ward's quartet in the net lifts Longhorns to 1st round win over Boston U.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas fell behind early against Boston University, but then senior forward Holly Ward decided enough was enough.
Ward scored all the Longhorns' goals in a 4-1 romp over the Terriers during the first round of the NCAA women's soccer tournament Friday at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin. Her performance set a program record for most goals and points in an NCAA tournament match, making her the Longhorns' all-time NCAA tournament scoring leader.
Ward hit the equalizer in the 28th minute following a Lexi Missimo corner kick, leading to a 1-1 halftime score. She pocketed a brace in the 61st minute then tacked on two more goals within 15 minutes. Jilly Shimkin and Breana Thompson were credited with assists on Ward's second goal and Madison Haugen assisted on the third. Ward's fourth goal was unassisted.
The thought of Texas trailing to a team with a losing record coming into the game seemed preposterous given how the Longhorns have played against nationally-ranked teams, so the team had to regroup at halftime.
"When we came back out from halftime, we all said, ‘OK, we have to get going, this is not our best soccer,’ and then I just feel like everyone was just putting everything in the right spaces," Ward said. "The people who were playing the passes to me were slipping it in at the exact spots. Obviously, one of my skills is my speed, so when my teammates see me in a 1-v-1, they know exactly where to put a pass."
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Ward became the second player this season to score four goals in a match for Texas. Trinity Byars put four in the net against Southern Methodist on Aug. 22 before her season-ending knee injury. Texas outshot Boston 14-7 in the second half and 20-10 for the match.
Goalkeeper Mia Justus made four saves for the Longhorns. She tied the program record for goalkeeper wins in the season with 17.
Texas (17-3-2) will play either Michigan State or Western Michigan in the second round. Top-seeded Duke will host the game in Durham, North Carolina. A date and time have yet to be determined.