Texas State soccer won a highly contested match 1-0 against Appalachian State Sunday afternoon at Appalachian Soccer Stadium in Boone, North Carolina.
The Bobcats traveled for their last away game of the season. The team hadn’t won a road match in two weeks coming into the game and looked to regain form as the season winds down.
“Road wins are never easy and today was no different,” Texas State Head Coach Steve Holeman said. “[Appalachian] State defended really well and their goalkeeper had some fantastic saves. We played very well today and created a lot of quality chances.”
Texas State started fast in the first half, registering four shots in the opening 20 minutes of the match and drawing two saves from redshirt freshman goalkeeper Sarah Wommack. The Bobcats continued to dominate throughout the half, totaling nine shots despite the 0-0 score.
The game was chippy throughout the 90 minutes with the referee needing to stop play 19 times for fouls being committed, with 10 charged to the Bobcats and nine to the Mountaineers.
The second half was much more open for both teams, as 15 shots were sent goalwards for the two teams with six on target. The Bobcats have cemented themselves as a constant threat from set pieces in recent weeks and continued the trend this week as they put 10 corners into the box.
However, the Bobcats finally found the breakthrough in the 80th minute of the match as sophomore midfielder Kaylie Smith netted her third goal of the year to go along with her team-high four assists.
Senior goalkeeper Katelyn Chrisman came up massive for the Bobcats, making two second-half saves to keep a clean sheet and secure the victory.
The win means the Bobcats retain their spot atop the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference with one game remaining in conference play.
Texas State will host their final match of the season against Georgia Southern before the Sun Belt Conference Championships kick off. The Eagles are coming off a 2-2 draw at home against Southern Mississippi.
“It feels great to have officially clinched our spot in the Sun Belt Tournament. Now we can focus in on our final game of the regular season,” Holeman said.
Kickoff between Texas State and Georgia Southern is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, at Bobcat Soccer Complex. The match will be available to stream on ESPN+.
