Texas State soccer (0-1) opened the 2024 season against Rice University (1-0) on Thursday, Aug.15 at Holloway Field in Houston. The team entered with high hopes from its exhibition win over Abilene Christian University, though proved less fortunate by suffering a 2-1 loss against the Owls.
“I thought this was a really competitive game tonight,” Steve Holeman said. “Rice is a quality opponent and I’m confident they are going to do very well this year.”
It was a quiet first half, with the first Bobcat attempt coming in the 13th minute, which was a wide shot from senior forward Zoe Junior. The second true chance came in the 17th minute as fifth-year midfielder Mya Ulloa soared a shot over the crossbar.
In the second half, Rice dominated the field offensively, racking up three attempts at the goal within 12 minutes of each other. The Owls found an opening in the 58th minute, starting from a corner kick that freshman forward Dayo Tennyson connected with, bringing the score 1-0.
Shortly after, in the 68th minute, Rice’s lead increased to 2-0 after the Bobcats scored an own goal from a Rice corner kick.
Four Bobcats had two shots each, two of which were forwards, but senior defender Anna Dunch scored the lone goal for the Bobcats in this contest.
Texas State closed the two-point deficit to one in the 88th minute with a rebounded finish from Dunch as she earned her first career goal as a Bobcat.
“It’s tough to lose on an own goal, but I thought we did well to fight back and create chances until the very end,” Holeman said. “These are the games that are going to make us better moving forward.”
The Bobcats will attempt to rebound from this loss in preparation for their next match and home opener against I-35 rival UTSA at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug 22, at Bobcat Soccer Complex. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
