Texas State soccer (7-5-3, 2-2-3 Sun Belt Conference) faced off against James Madison University (6-2-7, 3-0-7 Sun Belt Conference) for its seventh conference matchup Friday, which resulted in a scoreless draw.
Texas State entered this match aiming to bounce back from its 5-0 loss to ULM last Sunday, the team’s worst defeat since 2015.
James Madison was undefeated in its previous eight matchups, with four draws moving into this match.
Texas State and James Madison had only met twice before this contest, with JMU emerging victorious on both occasions. While the Bobcats’ defense kept James Madison’s scoring opportunities at bay this time, their offense had trouble finding the back of the net.
It was a defensive showdown for most of the match, with both teams tallying six collective shots on goal in the first half. In the end, the Dukes had the edge with six shots on goal compared to Texas State’s three.
The Bobcats were pressed to their defending third for much of the contest, forcing them into seven fouls, including a yellow card on freshman midfielder Victoria Meza.
Freshman goalkeeper Caitlyn Draper bounced back from ULM’s five-score shutout with a clean sheet against the Dukes that included six saves. Draper holds a record of 4-2-2 in her first year as a collegiate goalkeeper.
Though they were scarce, Texas State saw scoring opportunities after James Madison’s errors opened up its defense. In the 30th minute, Texas State junior forward Zoe Junior had a shot attempt after a kickoff error from the Dukes but put the shot wide.
In the 90th minute, James Madison found a scoring opportunity up the right side of the pitch. Freshman defender Cauvais Deane put her body on the line to stop the play but was carried off the pitch with visible knee pain shortly after.
Texas State will look to regroup as they return home to take on Old Dominion University (10-1-3, 5-1-1 Sun Belt Conference).
Kickoff between Texas State and Old Dominion is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, at Bobcat Soccer Complex. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
