Mateya Dessieux's ACL Nightmare Continues: Texas Soccer's Goalkeeper Suffers Second Devastating Injury
Mateya Dessieux, the talented goalkeeper for Texas women's soccer, has suffered her second torn ACL on the same knee, just 250 days into her recovery from the first injury.
The injury occurred on the same knee that Dessieux tore in December 2025. The Longhorns had already planned for her extended absence by adding three transfer goalkeepers. Texas won its season opener against Houston Christian 3-0 on August 12.
Dessieux was a standout goalkeeper in her freshman season, starting in nine of the team's 17 regular season games and logging every minute. She tied for the eighth-most saves (40) among SEC goalkeepers and posted the second-most saves (11) in a single match by a Texas true freshman since 1994.
The 19-year-old goalkeeper has a promising background in soccer. As a member of NASA TopHat SC in Atlanta, she was ranked the No. 47 overall prospect and the No. 5 overall goalkeeper in the country in the 2025 class, according to Prep Soccer. She was also invited to the USYNT's U17 camp in 2023 and U19 camp in 2024.
Dessieux is also a coach for One Knox Monsters, a beginner-level soccer program for children ages 2 to 5. In a post on Instagram, Dessieux expressed her faith and resilience in the face of adversity, writing, "To be a woman of God is to have an underlying sense of peace in the eye of the storm, and because of that, I know I will become a better person and player from this."
The second ACL injury is a significant setback for Dessieux and the Texas women's soccer team. The team's plan to have Dessieux back on the field by the start of the season has been put on hold. It remains to be seen when Dessieux will be able to return to action.
The Longhorns will have to rely on their existing goalkeepers to carry them through the season. With Dessieux's injury, the team's depth in goal has been significantly reduced. The team's performance will be closely watched to see how they adapt to the loss of their star goalkeeper.
Source: Yahoo Sports