Photo by: Krishnan Collins | Sports Editor: Hailey Furio dribbles the ball in A-State’s 1-0 win over Texas State.

The Arkansas State soccer team improved to a perfect 3-0 in the Sun Belt Conference after beating Texas State 1-0 on Sunday in Jonesboro.

The Red Wolves, now 7-3 overall, scored their only goal in the 28th minute on yet another Dana O’Boye penalty kick. O’Boye scored the winning penalty on Friday when the Red Wolves took down Louisiana 1-0. In A-State’s home game against SEMO, on Sept. 15, O’Boye scored the lone goal in the match. The defender has a knack for the big moments.

“(I was) a little bit (nervous),” O’Boye said about her second penalty kick in one weekend. “But, you know, you just place the ball in the right spot and they won’t save it anyways.”

An even bigger story on the afternoon was the absolute dominance shown by the center back partnership of O’Boye and Julianna Coates. The two veteran center backs gave Texas State little to no opportunities to score and the Bobcat’s forward Kaylee Davis, 2018 SBC player of the year, was in Coates’ back pocket the entire match.

“I like to call us the no-goal patrol,” Coates said. “So when we get those shutouts it really proves our point. I really enjoy getting those shutouts.”

This clean sheet marked A-State’s second consecutive shutout of the season and third shoutout overall.

“We’ve been together for three years. I don’t want anyone else back there with me,” O’Boye said about Coates. “We know where we’re going to be. We’re a brick wall back there for sure.”

The entire A-State team worked brilliantly on and off the ball against the Bobcats. The midfield, led by strong performances from Sophia Restrepo, Victoria MacIntosh and Lindsey Brochu to name a few, worked hard defensively but also connected passes between the backline and midfield brilliantly.

“(Our midfield) did well cutting off the passes to the forwards from the (Texas State) midfield,” Coates said. “They really helped get the knockdowns me and Dana headed out. They opened up for us in the middle and that was really, really helpful.”

O’Boye, a natural leader for A-State, commented that although this is an amazing start to SBC play, the Red Wolves are definitely not done yet.

Game Summary

Second Half

The Red Wolves had a brilliant chance to put the game out of reach late. Hailey Furio played a splitting through ball to Sarah Sodoma. Sodoma took a quick shot 1-on-1 with the goal keeper, but Texas State’s Heather Martin came up with a great save.

In the 80th minute, A-State whipped in a corner that eventually found its way to the head of Sophia Restrepo. The Florida native put a teasing header towards goal but Martin was there to make a wonderful save. Martin kept the Bobcats in the game late.

Kaylee Davis struggled to find any momentum during the match. In the 69th minute Davis collected the ball at her feet and turned quickly past the Red Wolves’ defender. Davis shot low at Megan McClure’s goal but the A-State keeper made a comfortable save on the ground.

Early on in the second half, Julianna Coates crossed a ball into the box that found Furio’s head. Furio connected on a looping header that fell on the other side of the net just above the Bobcats’ crossbar. The junior was that close to putting A-State ahead 2-0.

First Half

The Red Wolves put on a defensive clinic in the first half. Texas State possessed the ball well, but their possession hardly amounted to a clear chance on goal. Davis never really worked herself into the game in the first half.

With five minutes left in the half, Riley Minard used quick feet to open up space for a shot. The sophomore defender hit a strong shot towards goal, but Texas State’s keeper collected comfortably.

Megan McClure dominated her box in the first half. Despite the Bobcats earning many set pieces, McClure gathered multiple crosses commandingly with her hands.

In the 28th minute, Abby Harris collected the ball in the box and tried to make something happen on the dribble. Despite having her back to goal, she was taken down by a Texas State defender.

Dana O’Boye stepped up to the spot once again and converted the penalty to kick to her right side to give the Red Wolves a 1-0 lead.

Perhaps the best chance came for Texas State when the Red Wolves attempted to pass the ball out of the back in the 15th minute. After a bad pass, Davis ran toward McClure’s goal but fired wide. It was only half a chance.

Looking Ahead

The Red Wolves return to action on Oct. 4 when A-State travels to Georgia State. Kick off from Atlanta is set for 6 p.m.

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