The Bobcats (4-0-0) hosted Houston Baptist (0-2-1) on Sunday night in front of a lively crowd, winning 2-1. Goals by sophomore midfielder Madi Goss and sophomore forward Zoe Junior for Texas State paved the way to match the best start in program history on August 28.
The ‘Cats applied the pressure on the offensive end early and throughout the match. Just a few minutes in, freshman midfielder Chloe Jones dribbled into the Husky box, only to get fouled by freshman defenseman Danika Etter. Goss stepped up for the penalty kick and rolled one to the left side of the net as freshman goalkeeper Chloe Bagshaw dove to the right. 
After the first 45 minutes, the Bobcats were only up 1-0, despite having nine shots on goal and three corner kicks compared to Houston Baptist’s four shots and no corners. Bagshaw, who finished the match with seven saves, then made a diving save on a header by Goss, which was a trend that kept the Huskies in the game despite their lack of offensive production.
After halftime, the Huskies possessed the ball early and earned their first corner kick. The Bobcat offense, however, did not let up. A breakaway allowed Junior to make a move by Bagshaw, giving the ‘Cats a 2-0 lead with less than 29 minutes left. 
Houston Baptist did not go quietly. In the 82nd minute, junior midfielder Katie Marker finally got one over into the top left of the goal. The shot was tipped by Texas State sophomore goalkeeper Katelyn Chrisman, who ended the night with three saves. The goal made it 2-1 and gave the Huskies new life as they had seven minutes to search for an equalizer. 
The Bobcat defense held, however, and the Bobcats ran out the clock on an impressive victory that saw them outshoot the Huskies 2-1. 
In a post-match interview, Junior explained that the team had a motto that prepared them for holding the lead in the match’s waning minutes. 
“We have a saying, ‘big five,’ and that basically means five minutes of focus,” Junior said. “Making sure that we are all composed, and we get our head in the right mindset so we can continue and finish the game.” 
The start of a historic season under new head coach Steve Holeman means that the soccer squad has not gotten ahead of themselves. In a post-match interview, Holeman talked about capitalizing on many great opportunities and growing from the missed.
“We feel good, obviously, couldn’t ask for a better start, 4-0, but we just talked with the team about keeping everything in perspective,” Holeman said. “We got to learn from the games even when we win and not just games when we’ve lost.” 
The Bobcats will look to continue their early season streak against the Kansas City Roos (0-3-1) on Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. at Bobcat Soccer Complex.