No. 6 seed Texas State (9-7-2, 5-4-1 Sun Belt) might be the underdog, but the team is happy to see No. 3 seed Arkansas State (9-5-3, 5-2-3) again.
The Bobcats first played the Red Wolves on Sept. 29. The maroon and gold were coming off hard-fought match at Little Rock two days earlier that extended to two overtimes before ending in a 0-0 draw. The result disheartened the players, head coach Kat Conner recalls, which affected their play in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
“We came out very flat against Arkansas State,” Conner said.
Senior midfielder Jordan Kondikoff was whistled for a foul inside Texas State’s box, tripping Red Wolves junior forward Abby Harris. Junior defender Dana O’Boye booted the penalty kick past Bobcats senior goalkeeper Heather Martin for the first score of the game. Neither team found the back of the net for the rest of the match, as the hosts hung on to take the 1-0 victory.
A draw would have moved Texas State up to the No. 3 seed for the Sun Belt tournament. Instead, the team was bumped to the bottom of a three-way tie for fourth place and is slated to take the Red Wolves on again in the first round of the conference championship.
“I know it's a game that the players wish they could get back,” Conner said. “So I think that's a good thing, to draw Arkansas State first game in the tournament because it gives them that a little extra, hopefully boost to go out there and play better than we did before.”
Sophomore forward Sarah Sodoma leads the Red Wolves with eight goals and five assists, and Conner said the team uses her to high-pressure the ball in the backfield to earn more possessions. Even when you do sneak it past the front line, the team’s compact defense makes it difficult to score.
“We've been working really hard on trying to find quick penetrative passes before they can get set,” Conner said. “(Sodoma's) great at just turning and going at you and striking the ball like (Bobcats senior forward) Kaylee Davis can do. So we'll have to definitely make sure we limit the times she sees the ball. And then of course, we'll have to try to make sure other teammates don't do it, don't turn on us and go at us, too.”
Texas State checked into its hotel in Foley, Alabama on Monday. The team planned to go through another film breakdown on Tuesday.
The Bobcats and Red Wolves will kickoff the Sun Belt Women’s Soccer Championship on Wednesday at 10 a.m. Conner said the team has to stay relaxed to make a deep run.
“I think just the stress (makes it difficult),” Conner said. “The stress of knowing that if you make one mistake, that could be it. So you want to make sure that you're on the side that goes out and scores first and keeps the momentum in your corner there. So I think that it's just that stress that, you know, this could be your last game, but you gotta stay focused and play on to make sure it's not.”
