TXST SOCCER
It was another dramatic win for the Bobcats, who defeated the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks 3-2 off of a last minute goal from sophomore midfielder Victoria Meza.
Texas State improves their record to 8-34 overall and 4-0-2 in conference in the Bobcats 10-match unbeaten streak.
“For a Sunday afternoon in 90-degree heat, that was a pretty good game,” Holeman said. “ULM is so good and talented. We knew once we got the lead it certainly wasn’t over. They fought to the very end, same as us.
“The set pieces as many times as it is was the difference in this game. Our girls fought hard, so we were just proud of them. This is a really big win for us.”
The Bobcats took the lead on the Warhawks when Kaylie Smith, off the assist from Kennely Bradley and Mya Ulloa, scored in the 13th minute, giving the Bobcats the early lead at 1-0.
ULM had a chance to score in the 25th minute but goalkeeper Caitlyn Draper jumped up and made the save to keep the Warhawks off the scoreboard. At halftime, Texas State led 1-0.
In the 53rd minute, Texas State extended their lead.
Following a foul inside the penalty box, Ulloa stepped up for the penalty kick and beat the goalkeeper, giving the Bobcats a 2-0 lead.
“I said a quick prayer right before,” Ulloa said. “There was a lot of time in between, so I just placed it and imagined myself scoring already. I calmed my nerves. And I knew the keeper was going to try to get in my head, but I was able to place it and score.”
The two-goal lead didn’t last long for the Bobcats, as ULM scored in the 56th minute and cut the lead down to 2-1.
After dueling in the hot Sunday afternoon heat, the Warhawks were able to get the equalizer, scoring in the 77th minute.
Despite being tied at 2-2, the Bobcats were not panicking.
“We knew we had the momentum,” Meza said. “We had this game dominated, and we knew the goal was going to come. One of us was going to get that.”
The Bobcat that made the critical goal turned out to be Meza.
After being rewarded with the free kick following a ULM foul, Ulloa kicked the ball into the scrum.
The ball found its way to senior forward Zoe Junior, who passed the ball to junior forward Mady Sourmare. The ball was deflected before finding Meza, who powered the ball past the goalkeeper for the critical goal.
“[I wanted to] just connect the ball inside,” Meza said. “However I can, even with my knee jumping, just to get it in.”
Despite taking back the lead, the Bobcats now had the challenge of keeping a desperate ULM team from tying the game back up.
“We had seven minutes left, so we knew it was going to take some focus,” Ulloa said. “It was going to take all 11 players, so we switched to a defensive mindset. We were not going to let them score on us.”
Despite the Warhawks best efforts, the Bobcats turned away ULM and secured both the 3-2 win and three points.
It is the second straight game where Texas State scored a goal in the final minutes of regulation to secure the win and keep the Bobcats 10-match unbeaten streak alive.
“Hopefully we don’t become the cardiac kids, because I’m a little too old for that,” Holeman said jokingly. “It would be nice to secure the win early on, but whatever it takes. We are always going to fight till the end regardless.”
Texas State will travel to Old Dominion this Thursday in their showdown against the Monarchs.
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