AUSTIN – An absolute banger of a shot from junior midfielder Carla Portillo with less than 12 minutes remaining in regulation pushed the No. 1-ranked West Virginia University women's soccer team to a hard-fought 1-0 win at Texas, tonight, inside Mike A. Myers Stadium.

The 2016 Big 12 Champion Mountaineers (15-1-1, 7-0) were forced to fend off a pesky Longhorn squad this evening, as UT came out firing in the first half, forcing WVU into three saves, a season-high in conference play, in the first 45 minutes.

The WVU defense withstood the charge and the Mountaineers emerged from the halftime locker room a different team, outshooting UT 9-5 in the final half before finding the game-winner off Portillo's toe, her second of the season.

"We can't play halves – we have to play a complete game," Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. "I think we were sluggish with our movements and passing in the first half. We came out with more focus and energy in the second half.

"It was good to see us come out fighting in the second half. This team has high expectations. They didn't meet those expectations in the first 45 minutes, but they did in the second."

Tonight's win is the Mountaineers' eighth straight, while the clean sheet, credited to junior Michelle Newhouse, is the squad's 11th of the season. UT (8-8-1, 1-5-1) became the seventh straight Big 12 team to fail to score on the Mountaineers' backline. WVU has allowed just six opponent goals all season and none since a Richmond penalty kick on Sept. 23, totaling 664:53 straight shut-out minutes.    

Since the 2014 season, the Mountaineers are now 20-0-2 in regular-season Big 12 matches, marking the longest unbeaten streak in conference history.

Portillo's goal in the 79th minute drew gasps from the crowd, as she sent a line-drive shot from 23-yards out that sailed through traffic before clanging off the crossbar and behind UT's Paige Brown for her seventh career score. Sophomore forward Grace Cutler played a crucial role in the play, as she turned with the ball at the top of the 18-yard box and perfectly placed the ball at Portillo's cleat.

The goal was Portillo's second of the weekend. She now ranks second on the team with four goals on the year. With the assist, Cutler's weekend point total moves to three.

The Mountaineers finished with a 12-11 edge in shots and forced Paige into three saves. The four shots on-goal were a season low for WVU. The Longhorns placed six shots on-frame, but Newhouse, making her fourth career start, came through with a career-best showing to earn her second career shutout. UT's six shots on-goal were the most allowed by WVU in Big 12 play this year.

"Michelle was great today – she won the game for us tonight just like she did at Duke," Izzo-Brown added. "I was happy for her tonight."

WVU also finished with a 5-2 edge in corner kicks.

An energized Mountaineer squad out-possessed the Longhorns in the second half and had several great looks prior to Portillo's goal. Sophomore forward Hannah Abraham earned the best look just five minutes before the game-winning score, as she sent a lofting shot toward the net that was stopped just at the far right post by Brown.

One minute prior to Abraham's chance, and UT looked to earn the elusive first goal. Forward Cyera Hintze, who finished with a game-high four shots, found a bouncing ball inside the box. She earned a free shot, but Newhouse hit the ground, and the ball bounced right into her body and out of play. The ensuing corner kick yielded nothing for UT.

Both teams had dangerous chances in the match's early minutes. UT struck first, with Katie Glenn sending a long shot toward the left post in the second minute. Newhouse left her line and made the diving save, her first of three first-half stops.

The Mountaineers immediately flipped the field and quickly worked the ball into the box. Junior forward Heather Kaleiohi earned a shot inside the goal box, but Brown was there for the kick save.

Sophomore forward Sh'Nia Gordon nearly gave WVU the lead seven minutes later, as she sent an on-target shot from just inside the box toward the upper left pocket, but it cruelly banged off the crossbar and out of play. WVU earned back-to-back corner kicks off the chance but could not generate a scoring look off either.

The Longhorns challenged Newhouse again in the 26th minute. A foul just over midfield gave UT a free kick which dropped inside the 18-yard box. Hintzen gave chase and got her toes on the ball, but Newhouse sprawled out and smothered it for her second save.

Newhouse's third save of the half was routine, as she caught a long, bending shot by Jasmine Hart in the 37th minute near the left post.

WVU's offense was paced by Gordon and Abraham, as both tallied three shots.

Tonight's win moves WVU's all-time series lead to 5-1-1.

The Mountaineers conclude the regular season in Morgantown on Oct. 28, as they play host to Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. It's Senior Night, and WVU will honor its four seniors prior to first kick.