Two second half goals send Bobcats past ULM

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State used a pair of second half goals to take the lead and hold on for a 3-1 win over the ULM soccer team Sunday at the Bobcat Sports Complex.

“In the first half, very much like last week, we pushed the agenda and looked like a really good team,” ULM head soccer coach Sean Fraser said. “We had multiple moments we got into decent areas.”

The Bobcats struck quickly. In the sixth minute, Sydney Kammer scored off assists from Mackenzie Smith and Gabie Jones for a quick 1-0 lead.

ULM tallied the next four opportunities. In the ninth minute, junior Courtney Marten fired a shot but was wide. Sophomore Madi Garza quickly followed with another shot, but it was stopped by Texas State goalkeeper Beth Agee in front of the bottom left corner of the net.

A minute later, freshman Lena Göppel launched a shot, but Agee made the save in front of the bottom right corner of the net.

After back-to-back Texas State corner kicks, Marten fired another shot on frame in the 14th minute, but again, Agee was able to come up with the save.

The Bobcats had an opportunity to expand the lead in the 21st minute, but ULM junior keeper Hailey Hillock claimed her only save of the match on a shot by Renny Moore.

Freshman Janet Stopka, who returned to action Sunday after missing the previous two matches, started her attack in the 35th minute. Stopka’s first shot attempt was stopped by Agee in the top right corner. Three minutes later, Stopka fired again, but again Agee came up with the save. Late in the 38th minute, the third time was the charm for Stopka. Taylor Altieri fed a pass to the top of the box, finding Stopka just inside the box, where she launched the shot and scored to tie the match at 1.

“I was proud of the team’s fight back after conceding early,” Fraser said. “We scored a true team goal which was pleasing. We have been working on the cohesiveness and fluidity of our team, and to get the goal in that manner, I was delighted.”

Garza added her second shot on goal in the 45th minute, but Agee collected another save. The game was tied at 1 at the break.

Texas State broke the tie early in the second half. Moore scored off an assist by Kamaria Williams and Kayla Streber in the 55th minute to put the Bobcats up 2-1. Five minutes later, Karlee Torsik scored off an assist from Moore to push the Texas State lead to 3-1.

The Warhawks did not have many offensive chances in the second half but found opportunities in the final 10 minutes. In the 82nd minute, Stopka fired another shot on goal but Agee stopped it in front of the center of the net. In the 89th minute, Altieri’s shot was saved by Agee in front of the bottom center of the net, as Texas State held on for the 3-1 win.

“In the second half, we were simply unable to match what we delivered in the first half, which was again frustrating,” Fraser said. “That has to be our focus this week. The bare minimum is that we compete for 90 minutes. I think if we got what we did in the first 45 throughout the rest of the game, we would’ve picked up a solid road win.”

ULM outshot Texas State, 13-11. The Warhawks fired 10 of their shots in the first half, while the Bobcats had eight second half shots. ULM had nine shots on goal to four for Texas State. Agee came up with eight saves while Hillock had one.

Stopka picked up six shots off the bench, with four on goal, to lead ULM.

The Warhawks close the fall portion of the regular season on Thursday at Little Rock.