Bobcats Defeat Georgia State, Advance To Semifinals

Lynsey Curry, junior forward, corralled the high-arching pass from Tori Hale, senior forward, in the penalty box. She outleaped two defenders for the game-winning goal.

The Texas State soccer team advanced to the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference tournament with the 1-0 victory against the Georgia State Panthers.

 “We went back to our old ways of possessing the ball, getting behind and working together,” Coach Kat Conner said. “We need to stay our course, keep possession, continue building and we will do great.”

The intensity from both teams came to a head 15 minutes in as Georgia State and the Bobcats battled for possession. Georgia State attempted to advance possession from sideline passing, but the Bobcat defensive pressure prevented a majority of offensive attacks.

“Those two have a good rhythm with each other,” Conner said. “When they are on and really in sync, it really helps us as a unit to play with confidence.”

The Bobcats secured the lead in the second half by limiting Georgia State’s possessions. The Panthers attempted to spread their passes throughout the field in the second half.

“The first half, we played defense brilliantly,” Conner said. “The second half, our defense was a little lackadaisical, so we just need to keep our focus mentally. That is the main thing.”

The Bobcats continued to press against Georgia State’s comeback efforts, limiting them to three shots for the entire second half to secure the win.

“When we play our style I feel as if we are unstoppable,” Curry said. “We came out today ready to play, ready to win and that is what we did.”

Texas State attempted 15 shots with five on goal while holding Georgia State to six shots. The Bobcats’ next opponent is the second-seeded Troy Trojans.

Devin Tyler is a sports reporter at the University Star where this story originally published. It is reprinted here through a news partnership between the University Star and the San Marcos Corridor News, @CorridorNews