Bayliss Flynn Wins SEC Defensive Honor After Texas Shuts Out TCU

Texas soccer continues to get elite work from goalkeeper Bayliss Flynn, and the SEC noticed again.

Flynn was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season after helping the Longhorns shut out No. 19/14 TCU, 1-0, on Sunday in Fort Worth.

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The senior goalkeeper recorded three saves in the victory and helped Texas improve to 5-1-1 while securing its first ranked win under head coach Margueritte Bates.

It was another strong performance in what has quickly become an impressive first season in Austin for the Montana transfer.

Through Texas’ first seven matches, Flynn has been credited with 4½ shutouts while allowing only three goals across 588 minutes in net.

That translates to a 0.46 goals-against average, one of the clearest indicators of how difficult the Longhorns have been to break down defensively.

Sunday’s performance against TCU may have been her biggest statement yet.

The Horned Frogs entered as a ranked opponent and a 2025 College Cup semifinalist, but Texas controlled much of the match before Ava McDonald delivered the deciding goal in the 68th minute.

Flynn and the Longhorns defense made that advantage stand.

The honor is Flynn’s second SEC weekly award in less than a month. She also claimed Defensive Player of the Week recognition on Aug. 17 after opening her Texas career with consecutive clean sheets against Houston Christian and Pitt.

Those two shutouts put Flynn in rare company. She became just the second goalkeeper in Texas program history to record clean sheets in each of her first two starts for the Longhorns.

Her success didn’t start in Austin.

Flynn earned Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week honors twice in 2024 while playing for Montana, giving her four career conference weekly awards.

Now she’s becoming one of the anchors of a Texas team that has allowed opponents very little room for error.

The Longhorns have already demonstrated they can win low-scoring matches, and Flynn’s presence gives them the luxury of knowing one goal may sometimes be enough.

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That becomes even more important as SEC play begins.

Texas opens conference action Thursday night at Arkansas, and if Flynn’s first seven games are any indication, opponents may need to be nearly perfect just to find the back of the net.