By Michael Adams
Austin Sports Journal
Texas State women’s soccer advanced to the Sun Belt Conference championship after knocking off top-seeded South Alabama 1-0 in Wednesday’s semifinal at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex in Foley, Alabama.
The Bobcats will face Louisiana-Monroe, which upset second-seeded Old Dominion in the other semifinal. The two teams battled to a 1-1 draw earlier this season on Sept. 13 in Monroe, Louisiana.
After a scoreless first half, Texas State broke through just past the 60-minute mark. Jenny Agyemang’s corner kick was cleared to the opposite side, where Chloe Jones sent a volley back into the box that found Kennley Bradley at the far post. Bradley headed the ball past 2025 Sun Belt Goalkeeper of the Year Sierra Giorgio to put the Bobcats ahead 1-0.
South Alabama nearly equalized in the 71st minute when Ava Matherne’s strike from the top of the 18-yard box hit the crossbar, but Texas State’s defense held firm the rest of the way.
The Bobcats outshot South Alabama 12-8, including a 7-3 advantage on goal, and held a 4-1 edge in corner kicks. Saturday’s championship match is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
This marks ULM’s first appearance in the title game and Texas State’s second straight and third overall.
Men’s basketball: The Bobcats (1-1) opened their home slate with a dominant 114–55 victory over Texas A&M–San Antonio on Wednesday at Strahan Arena. Texas State shot 63% from the field and 53% from 3-point range while holding the Jaguars to 30% overall.
Mark Drone led the way with 19 points, and Kaden Gumbs filled the stat sheet with 16 points, eight assists, five rebounds and four steals. Makai Willis added 12 points and seven rebounds, while Dimp Pernell provided 13 points off the bench on perfect shooting.
The Bobcats built a 28-point halftime lead and cruised the rest of the way, outscoring TAMU–San Antonio 61–30 in the second half. They’ll travel to New Orleans this weekend for a 1 p.m. matchup with Tulane before returning home Nov. 12 to face rival UTSA.
Women’s basketball: Texas State fell 72–66 to Ohio in its season opener Monday at Strahan Arena. Senior guard Saniya Burks scored a career-high 34 points on 13-of-18 shooting and went 7-for-10 from 3-point range, but the Bobcats couldn’t overcome 34 turnovers that led to 28 Ohio points.
Texas State shot 48% from the floor and 47.8% from deep but struggled with ball control in the fourth quarter as Ohio closed strong. The Bobcats (0-1) head to Lubbock on Sunday to face Texas Tech at 2 p.m.
