'Cats suffer 1st-round upset against App State at Sun Belt tournament

Texas State Soccer was upset in the first round of the Sun Belt tournament on Monday.

The No. 6 seed Bobcats fell to No. 11 seed Appalachian State in Foley, Ala., 2-1. It’s the third consecutive season that’s ended with a first-round exit for Texas State.

The Mountaineers scored in the opening minutes of the match, as sophomore forward Breckyn Monteith dribbled past the maroon and gold’s back line and found the back of the net.

The Bobcats answered shortly after, though. In the 21st minute, junior defender Kamaria Williams sent a cross into the box from the left side, finding the foot of junior midfielder Kiara Gonzales. Her shot slipped past the goalkeeper, knotting the game back up at 1-1.

The score remained tied at the half. Texas State led App State on shots, 8-4, but the Mountaineers closed the final minutes of the half pinning the ball in the attacking third, taking nine corner kicks.

The pressure got to the maroon and gold in the second half. A bad clearance let graduate midfielder Audrey Viso fire from just outside the box for the go-ahead goal in the 52nd minute.

The team outshot the Mountaineers 17-6 for the match, but were unable to score again, suffering the 2-1 loss.

Texas State will lose four seniors in the offseason, with 23 players remaining on the roster. The Bobcats finish the season and 7-8-2 overall and will look to make a deeper run in next year’s tourney.