COURTESY OF THE SUN BELT CONFERENCE: Hailey Furio battles for the ball in A-State’s win over Texas State.
The Arkansas State soccer team defeated Texas State in a penalty kick shootout to advance to semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference tournament.
After a 0-0 regulation period, A-State defeated the Bobcats 4-1 in a shootout. Dana O’Boye, Megan McClure, Hannah Maupin and Sarah Sodoma kept the Red Wolves perfect in the shootout and Mackenzie Smith was the only Bobcat to tuck her penalty away.
McClure not only made a penalty kick as a goal keeper, but the junior shot stopper made important saves throughout the entirety of the match. McClure made four total saves and a majority of them were difficult stops.
A-State takes on Louisiana in the semifinals of the tournament. The seventh seeded Ragin’ Cajuns took down the second seeded Troy Trojans 3-0 Wednesday afternoon to advance to the semis. Louisiana’s win over the Trojans illustrates the depth of the SBC this season.
Earlier in the year, the Red Wolves took down the Ragin’ Cajuns in Jonesboro behind a 1-0 scoreline and a Dana O’Boye penalty.
Kick off from Foley, Alabama is set for Friday at 4 p.m with a trip to the SBC tournament final on the line. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
COURTESY OF THE SUN BELT CONFERENCE: Megan McClure made four saves and scored in the penalty kick shootout in A-State’s win over Texas State.
Game Summary
Overtime
With under a minute left to play to overtime, Texas State found themselves one-on-one with the A-State keeper but McClure came up with a great leg save.
In the second period of overtime, A-State possessed the ball well, but did not create many concrete chances. With just over three minutes left to play, A-State earned back-to-back corners but just could not find a goal.
One minute into overtime Hailey Furio stole the ball from Texas State on the wing and put Sodoma through on the same side with a pass along the ground. Sodoma fired her shot just wide after zooming past a Texas State defender.
Second Half
Both teams really went for it in the second half which meant some entertaining soccer was played between the Red Wolves and Bobcats. Both teams registered a multitude of chances in the second 45 minutes.
With just 10 minutes left to play, McClure came up with a brilliant save to keep the match level. Texas State took a powerful shot but the Red Wolves’ keeper used her length and tipped the ball over the crossbar.
Perhaps the best chance in regulation came just a few minutes earlier. Texas State’s Kamaria Williams found herself one-on-one with McClure right in front of goal. Williams, rushed by McClure’s pressure, put the ball just wide.
In the 59th minute, Sodoma delivered a teasing ball into the box. The pass found Julianna Coates but the center back blasted her second shot over the bar after her first shot deflected back to her feet.
First Half
The first half included lengthy spells of possession from each team. A-State started the half in complete control but eventually the Bobcats worked themselves back into the game for their own period or control.
With four minutes left to play in the half, Riley Minard found the ball at the top of the box for the Red Wolves. Minard tried to make a move past the Texas State defender, but could not make anything of the opportunity.
In the 35th minute the Bobcats earned a free kick not too far outside the Red Wolves’ box. Despite being in a dangerous position, the free kick was poorly played into the box.
Kaylee Davis almost found the breakthrough for the Bobcats in the 28th minute. The senior forward found the ball in the middle of the box and stroked it past McClure into the net. However, the whistle blew for a foul committed seconds prior when Olivia Smith was bundled into by a Bobcat attacker.
McClure came up with a major save in the 20th minute when Davis rocketed a shot towards A-State’s goal. McClure stood strong and batted the shot away.
A-State started the game strongly. Sodoma took multiple corners in the opening 20 minutes but no A-State player could convert any of the chances. Coates managed a shot on goal but it did not trouble the Bobcat’s keeper.
Just two minutes into the match, Sophia Restrepo picked the ball up around midfield and played a beautifully weighted ball over the top to Sodoma. The junior forward just could not beat the Texas State keeper to the ball.
Categories: Sports
Leave a Reply