Texas State soccer is set to face Troy University Nov. 2 in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
The matchup will take place at 6:30 p.m. at Foley Sports Tourism Complex in Foley, Alabama, and will be streamable on ESPN+.
The Bobcats enter the tournament as the third seed in the West Division of the Sun Belt after a turbulent season, ending 4-4 in the conference and 4-8-1 overall. Troy enters the matchup as the sixth and bottom seed of the East Division, 1-8-1 in the conference and overall.
The teams last met in October 2019 when the Trojans scraped by with a 1-0 victory after a corner was headed home in the 99th minute of overtime.
This season, Troy’s only win was against Coastal Carolina University (third in the East Division, 6-4 in conference and overall), and its draw was against Georgia State University (second in East Division, 6-2-2 in conference, 9-2-2 overall).
Troy’s leading scorers are freshman forward Regielly Halldorsdottir and junior defender Kate Eubanks, both with two goals each. Troy averages 4.5 corners per game, so the Bobcats’ set-piece discipline will be tested.
Troy is tied for the penultimate spot in conference goals scored with seven, while Texas State doubles its goal tally with 14. The Bobcats have yet to keep a clean sheet in any game this season despite solid performances from the backline against tough opponents.
The Bobcats are a relatively young team but still count on contributions from seniors accustomed to big-game situations. Senior forward Sydney Kammer leads the team in goals with three, and senior midfielder Renny Moore provided a goal and an assist in last week’s triumph over the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
Texas State’s dynamic wing play from several players starting and off the bench has been a positive source of creation and goals for the team. Sophomore forward/midfielder Kiara Gonzales leads the team with two assists, and players like freshman midfielder Emma Jones and junior midfielder/forward Ally Kewish have contributed up and down the flanks across many games this season.
The Bobcats’ best player this season has arguably been freshman goalkeeper Beth Agee, who leads the nation in saves with 69.
The Bobcats managed to partially salvage their season, winning three of their last five matches. On Oct. 25, Texas State comfortably beat ULM 3-1 in its final game of the regular season.
All phases of the game will have to connect and click for the Bobcats to advance past Troy; a loss would mean a disappointing end to Head Coach Kat Conner’s 22nd season in charge.
The winner of the first-round contest will advance to the quarterfinals to face Georgia State at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 4. All games in the tournament will be streamable on ESPN+.