Texas State Soccer took down James Madison for the first time in program history after narrowly defeating them via a penalty shootout in the Quarterfinal of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Monday evening at the Foley Sports Complex in Foley, Ala.
Graduate goalkeeper Maude Rouanet, who started after Brooklyn Escobar had to sit out due to a red card in the season finale back on Oct. 29, recorded a career high of eight saves while playing all 110 minutes of the matchup.
The Bobcats struck first in the 32nd minute when sophomore midfielder Helen Alormenu kicked it into the box as junior midfielder Victoria Meza made contact and slipped the ball just past Dukes goalkeeper Sofia DeCerb, putting the Bobcats up 1-0 and earning Alormenu her fifth assist of the season while Meza got her fourth goal.
Texas State started playing heavily conservative following their goal, but James Madison continued to be relentless with their offense and defense. In the second half alone, the Dukes shot 17 times compared to the Bobcats five.
James Madison finally broke through in the 73rd minute when defender Jordan Yang intercepted a Bobcat pass and redirected it to forward Audrey Orrock, who proceeded to head the ball pass Rouanet and to the back of the net, evening up the contest to 1-1.
From there, the Bobcats and Dukes would end regulation all knotted up, with overtime looming and the golden goal in effect. Both teams saw plenty of opportunities in ending the game during both overtime periods played.
Senior defender Angela Gatto was given a free kick in the 102nd minute, hitting the back left post and bouncing back as Midfielders Chloe Jones and Alormenu each attempted to rebound the ball in, but it was overshoot and sent the ball out of bounds.
Nearly ending the match at tail end of the second overtime period, Alormenu sent out a shot from just within the midfield line, ultimately landing just on top of the net and sending the contest into penalty kicks.
Both the Bobcats and Dukes saw success in their first four attempts in penalties. On the final Duke shot, Rouanet blocked James Madison’s Ellie Farrell’s attempt on the right side, opening a window of opportunity for the Bobcats.
The game winning goal came from a precise shot by Agyemang, who fully took advantage and gave Texas State another day to live.
The Bobcats will now look forward to its semifinal game against No. 1 seed South Alabama on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. at the Foley Sports Complex in Foley, Ala. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
