By CHASE UPTON/Sports Editor
UT Tyler 2 – UT Dallas 1
TYLER, Texas — UT Tyler women’s soccer ended the regular season with a 2-1 win over UT Dallas on Tuesday night at Citizens 1st Bank-Perkins Soccer Complex.
The Patriots finished the regular season 8-4-4 overall and 8-3-3 in Lone Star Conference play. The eight conference wins set a program record for wins in the LSC.
The victory also secured the Patriots the No. 5 seed in the LSC Tournament, which will be held Oct. 30-Nov. 8.
Tuesday’s finale had fireworks early on, as UT Dallas earned a penalty kick in the fifth minute, but senior goalkeeper Robbi Curry kept the Comets off the board with a miraculous diving save.
UTD would still find the opening goal moments later, putting the Patriots behind 1-0 early.
Tyler responded in the 20th minute as Lexi Luff played the ball forward to Ella Anderson, whose shot deflected off Celine Diaz and into the net for the equalizer. Anderson and Luff were credited with assists as Diaz scored her third goal of the season.
The Patriots took the lead in the 38th minute when freshman Mayla Dawkins set up Danica Anaya inside the box, Anaya finished the chance for her fifth goal of the year.
UT Tyler took that 2-1 lead into halftime after outshooting UT Dallas 11-5 in the opening 45 minutes, and held on through a scoreless second half.
The Patriots finished the match with a 21-11 advantage in shots, and put six attempts on goal.
Regular Season Recap
The win capped a regular season in which UT Tyler received production from nearly every level of its roster.
Returning juniors Ella Anderson and Danica Anaya led the Patriots with five goals apiece, with Anderson finishing the regular season with a team-high 12 points.
Transfers Celine Diaz and Lexi Luff also made immediate impacts. Diaz, who transferred to UT Tyler from Division I Lamar University, led the Patriots with five assists and finished with 11 points, while Luff recorded three goals, four assists and 10 points.
Defensively, sophomores Arianna Johnson and Samantha White became the heart of UT Tyler’s stellar backline. Johnson finished the regular season with 1,152 minutes and White with 1,146, the two highest totals among Patriot position players. They were closely followed by juniors Savanna Clark with 1,021 minutes and Carson Glenn and Audrey Varney with 995 each.
That group helped anchor a stingy Patriots defense that allowed just 12 goals in 16 regular-season matches and posted nine shutouts.
Behind them was goalkeeper Robbi Curry. The senior from Allen, Texas, allowed just one goal over her final five regular-season matches and finished among the top five goalkeepers in the LSC in goals-against average (0.53), save percentage (.843) and shutouts (nine).
While veterans provided stability, UT Tyler also received significant contributions from a freshman class that 22nd-year head coach Stefani Webb spoke highly of before the season even began.
Those freshman included Lily Moreno, who developed into a regular part of the rotation, playing more than 700 minutes while recording two goals and an assist, Mayla Dawkins finished with two goals and three assists, Kayden Raney logged more than 600 minutes throughout the season, while Presley See appeared regularly off the bench and surpassed 300 minutes.
Eighteen different Patriots recorded either a goal or an assist, giving Webb countless lineup options as UT Tyler worked through the LSC schedule.
The Road Ahead
The Patriots now pivot toward a possible postseason push, beginning with their LSC quarterfinal matchup against No. 4 seed Oklahoma Christian (11-4-3, 8-3-3 LSC) at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, in Edmond, Oklahoma.
UT Tyler and OCU already met once this season, playing to a 0-0 draw Oct. 7 in Edmond.
A win vs OCU Monday would send UT Tyler to Dallas, TX for an LSC semifinal showdown against No. 1 seed Dallas Baptist University (15-0-2, 12-0-2) at 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5.
DBU enters the tournament ranked No. 1 in the country and fresh off its second consecutive LSC regular-season championship.
Tyler also has recent postseason history with DBU, which ended the Pats’ 2025 season in the LSC semifinals. With 25 returners from that team back on this year’s UT Tyler roster, a win over Oklahoma Christian would give many of them another shot at the in-state rival that ended their season a year ago.
UT Tyler women’s soccer will enter November with a prime opportunity to extend their season and possibly appear in their first NCAA Division II tournament if they can make a run in the LSC tournament.
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