Midfielder Mackenzie Smith, who scored the sole goal for the Bobcats, clears the ball from the box. Photo courtesy of Texas State Athletics.
Bobcat soccer lost their nation-setting 17-match undefeated streak on Friday, falling 2-1 to the University of Texas- El Paso in a tight battle on the road.
The ‘Cats are still undefeated at home and now sit at a 4-1 record for the season.
The contest was largely a back and forth affair, with both teams reaching the double digits in shots. UTEP paced both teams with 14 shots and 8 on goal, while Texas State racked up 10 shots with 4 on goal.
After a scoreless 18 initial minutes, Bobcat midfielder Mackenzie Smith got things going with a header off of a corner kick from junior Renny Moore to set Texas State at a 1-0 advantage.
Bobcat goalie Heather Martin had her work cut out for her leading up to half time, saving 3 shots on goal late in the first half before surrendering a penalty kick to UTEP’s Lauren Crenshaw to even the score at 1-1.
In the second half, the Miners came out swinging with 8 shots attempted and four on goal. In the 78thminute, UTEP’s Jojo Ngongo sent a crossing pass through the box to Kami Fisher, who managed to sneak the ball into the left corner to take a 2-1 lead that the Bobcats would never recover from.
Despite the loss, the Bobcats still sit at an impressive 4-1 season record and will look to improve to 5-1 on the road against New Mexico State on Sunday.