Bobcats stun Old Dominion on last minute goal for win

In one of the most exciting games of the year, Texas State scored two goals in the final 10 minutes to knockoff the Sun Belt East Division leading Old Dominion Monarchs, 2-1.

Despite giving up a goal in the 82nd minute after being up 1-0 in the 81st minute, the Bobcats continued to press, before sophomore midfielder Lily Erb found the back of the net in the 85th minute for the thrilling win.

“Getting scored on after we scored a great goal disappointed us,” Erb said. “We were working so hard, but we stayed resilient and kept hunting for that second goal. That is something we have been doing all season.” Not only did Texas State break a two-game scoreless streak against Old Dominion, but the Bobcats became the first team this season to score multiple goals on a Monarch defense, considered one of the best defenses in the conference.

As the race for the conference tournament continues to heat, the need to stay ahead in the conference race is imperative for freshman goalkeeper Caitlyn Draper as well as feeding off the support from the Bobcat faithful.

“We knew we needed a result,” Draper said. “That just helped us fuel that. With Boko’s Army showing up, that really helped us. Scoring that first goal, the momentum just kept coming and we knew we needed a result.”

With the combination of the fans showing their support and the Bobcats playing their best ball of the year, it was a recipe for successful for Head Coach Steve Holeman.

“What a phenomenal game,” Holeman said. “It was a great atmosphere and we knew it was going to be a good one. They are a very good team and we played incredibly well tonight.”

For the majority of the game, both the Bobcats and the Monarchs were locked in the defensive slug-fest deadlocked at 0-0.

Leading the way for the Bobcat defense was Draper who finished the game with seven saves.

“She has grown into that role,” Holeman said. “She has done incredibly well and nothing phases her. She was completely relaxed before the game and came up with some big saves. You can’t blame the corner kick goal on her but she came up big.”

Despite only being a freshman, Draper has worked her way up into the starting lineup with 13 saves and only one goal allowed in the two games.

For Draper, being welcomed by upperclassmen despite being a freshman has boosted the goalkeeper’s confidence.

“I’ve gotten so much support,” Draper said. “It’s really helped me feel apart of the team. Sometimes you come in to a new team and you get that impostor syndrome. But this team has made me feel apart of the team and the results are a reflection of how the team has really welcomed me.”

With the win, the Bobcats improve to 8-5-3 overall and earn an important three points to sit both in third place in the Sun Belt West Division and eighth overall in the Sun Belt Conference standings.

Texas State returns to play today as the Bobcats go back on the road to Mobile in a showdown with the Sun Belt leading South Alabama Jaguars.

Kickoff is at 1 p.m. at the Cage on the campus at South Alabama.

coltonbmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: ColtonBMc