Texas State soccer (3-1-2) was able to draw #19 University of Oklahoma (6-0-1) 1-1 in front of a packed crowd, Thursday night at Bobcat Soccer Complex.
The game started with the Bobcats settling into a defensive shape, absorbing pressure and counter attacks from a fluid Oklahoma offense.
In the 22nd minute, Oklahoma drew a penalty in the box and forward Hadley Murrell slotted it the ball into the bottom left corner, sending freshman goalkeeper Brooklyn Escobar the wrong way,
In the 30th minute, Texas State equalized thanks to attacker Constance Agyemang, who kneed the ball into the crossbar and across the white line to give the Bobcats a lifeline.
For the rest of the first half, the Bobcats played a more expansive brand of football, holding a larger share of possession while also creating some decent chances in the final third, which was part of the plan from the get-go, according to Texas State head coach Steve Holman
“Many teams have played them in a 4-5-1, so we wanted to be a little more aggressive,” Holeman said after the match. “I think we had a really good balance of pressing them and then handling their press.”
The second half started off as an intense affair for both sides, with lots of gritty tackles. Oklahoma tried to control the tempo of the match, but the Bobcats did a strong job of being press-resistant and standing their ground.
Oklahoma came really close to scoring the winner in the final 10 minutes as they bombarded Texas State’s box with crosses, but when the final whistle blew, the Bobcats could rest knowing that they had just drawn a ranked opponent.
“They come in here undefeated, top 20 in the country. They’re scoring goals left and right, putting four goals a game up, so I thought we did well,” Holeman said. “We had a really good defensive effort.”
Throughout the 90 minutes, the Bobcat fans in attendance were loud and stood behind the team as they pushed for a result.
“I loved all the fans that were here,” midfielder Chloe Jones said. “I think, honestly, for me, the more fans [that are] here, the better I play; the energy was amazing.”
Texas State soccer will now turn its attention to its matchup against in-state rivals Baylor, which will be the last game before entering conference play against ULM.
“Playing teams like (Oklahoma) prepare us very, very well for conference,” Jones said. “It just gives us great momentum.”
Kickoff against the Bears is set for 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 7, at Bobcat Soccer Complex. The match will be able to stream on ESPN+.
