Margueritte Bates, the newly appointed head coach of the Texas Longhorns women's soccer program, brings a championship pedigree from her tenure at UCLA, where she guided the Bruins to the 2022 national title and earned two Pac‑12 Coach of the Year honors. In her first season at Texas, Bates inherits a roster eager to translate that success into a deep run in the upcoming campaign.
The 2026 schedule comprises 17 regular‑season contests, eight of which will be played at the iconic Mike A. Myers Soccer Stadium in Austin. The slate opens with a home‑and‑away series against HCU on Aug. 13, followed by a three‑match road swing that takes the Longhorns to Pitt, Arizona State and Grand Canyon in August. Late‑August fixtures against in‑state rivals Baylor and Incarnate Word add further early‑season challenges.
Conference play on the horizon
Conference play kicks off on Sept. 10 with a matchup against Arkansas, and the Longhorns' first home conference opener arrives on Sept. 18 against Tennessee. A back‑to‑back road stretch against Florida and Ole Miss later in September tests the team's resilience, while a high‑profile October 4 clash with Oklahoma promises another marquee test.
The non‑conference portion wraps up with a September 6 game versus TCU, and the final regular‑season road test comes at Kentucky on Oct. 9. Texas will close the schedule with three of its last four matches at home, including contests versus LSU, South Carolina and Auburn, before concluding the road slate at Vanderbilt on Oct. 23.
Overall, the 2026 season offers a blend of tough non‑conference opponents and a home‑field advantage that could prove decisive. With Bates at the helm and a proven track record of success, the Longhorns are poised to make a strong impression from the first whistle.