Women’s Soccer Open At Louisiana Tech, Host UTSA To Kickoff Regular Season

Louisiana Tech is coming off a 14-3-5 season and reached the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament.

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The 2018 season officially kicks off for the Texas State soccer team this weekend with two matches.

First up is the regular season opener at Louisiana Tech, the first of four matches this season in the Pelican State, on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Lady Techster Soccer Complex while the home opener at the Bobcat Soccer Complex is Sunday at 7:30 p.m. against I-35 rival UTSA.

All home matches for Texas State are free admission. Parking for fans will be available at the Speck Street Parking Garage along with limited spaces southwest of the Soccer Complex except on Aug. 20 against Louisiana Tech.

Because of new student move-in day taking place around the complex Aug. 18-19, fans are recommended to park along Sessoms Drive Lots R18 and R40.

TXST is coming off a 3-0 exhibition win at Incarnate Word last Saturday. Kaylee Davis netted the first and third goals of the contest. The junior also assisted on Paige Crossman’s tally just over a minute after the opening score.

In net, Kathryn Budde recorded a save while the defense held the Cardinals to four shots in the first half. Heather Martin stopped three shots in the final 45 minutes to preserve the shutout.

Scouting Louisiana Tech

Louisiana Tech is coming off a 14-3-5 season and reached the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament. The Lady Techsters return 15 players and bring in 20 newcomers. Leading the way for them is two-time All-CUSA selection Nomvula Kgoale. The South African netted six goals, was credited with three assists, took 43 shots and placed 16 of them on goal last season.

Mylene Roy-Ouellett leads all returners with eight goals. The senior from Quebec, Canada also assisted on three scores. Pacing the returning players with five assists is Jaelyn Peeples.

In goal, Courtney Tompkins played in 13 matches with 11 starts last year. The Mississippi State transfer recorded a 0.86 GAA, made 60 saves and recorded a .845 save percentage with three shutouts and an 8-2-3 record. Carlotta Cartelli also brings back experience between the posts with six appearances in which she totaled a 1.06 GAA, 16 saves and .727 save percentage.

Series vs. Lady Techsters

The all-time series between the Bobcats and La Tech is tied 2-2-1. In last year’s meeting, the teams played to a 1-1 draw with Brooke Ramsey scoring the match-tying goal late in the 24^th minute. Texas State lost the only previous meeting between the programs 2-1 on Sept. 10, 2010.

Scouting UTSA

UTSA finished 3-14-0 last year and were 2-8-0 in C-USA. In this year’s preseason poll, the Roadrunners were picked 13^th in the 14-team league. They are under the direction of Derek Pittman, who arrived in the Alamo City this summer. UTSA went 1-0-2 in three exhibition matches with 1-0 win over Houston Baptist and two 1-1 draws against Sam Houston State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Pacing all Roadrunners last season with four goals, 27 shots and 13 shots on goal and back for her sophomore campaign is Ellis Patterson. Also finding the back multiple times (3) is Channing Machen. Contributing three assists was Sarah Bayhi and Marianne Hernandez dished out two.

Two goalkeepers return for the Roadrunners in Michelle Cole and Gabriella Mariello. Cole posted a 2.96 GAA with 60 saves and .638 save percentage in 12 matches. Mariello finished the year with a 1.92 GAA, 25 stops and a .694 save percentage.

Series vs. Roadrunners

The all-time series between TXST and UTSA is tied 3-3-2. The last meeting with the Roadrunners came on Sept. 14, 2014 in which the Roadrunners won 3-2 in overtime in San Marcos. A 1-0 double overtime contest was the last time the Bobcats defeated their I-35 rival on Oct. 28, 2012.

When the teams have met at the Bobcat Soccer Complex, the series is tied 2-2. The last win for the Bobcats at home in the series came on Oct. 9, 2011 by a 3-1 score.

Live stats and video will be available for both matches while audio will also be provided for Sunday’s home opener. Links can be found on the Bobcat soccer team’s schedule page.

For more information on the Texas State soccer team, visit the official website of Texas State Athletics at www.txstatebobcats.com, like on Facebook at Texas State Soccer and follow on Instagram and Twitter at @TxStateSoccer.

La Tech Live Stats: http://sidearmstats.com/latech/wsoc/

La Tech Video: http://conferenceusa.com/watch/default.aspx?Live=5043&path=latech

UTSA Live Stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=225111

UTSA Video: https://txstatebobcats.com/watch/?Live=1618&type=Live

Game Notes: http://txstatebobcats.com/sports/2017/8/16/soccer-game-notes.aspx?path=wsoc