University Star

Women’s soccer (5-9-1, 2-2-0) will come back to the Bobcat Soccer Complex and face a strong Louisiana Tech University team that posts a record of 10-3-1, 1-0-1 in conference play.

This will mark the third encounter between Texas State and Louisiana Tech in three years. The series currently stands at 1-1, with the Bobcats getting the most recent win in overtime last year, 1-0.

Louisiana Tech comes to San Marcos led by their standout junior forward Emily Brennan who leads the team with six goals and 12 points on the season.

The Lady Techsters boast a 4-0-2 record outside of the confines of the Lady Techster Soccer Complex. Out of town, Louisiana Tech is outscoring their opponents 17-2, and has recorded five shutouts.

“(Louisiana Tech) is a very confident team, and they’re having a great season,” Coach Kat Conner said. “(Louisiana Tech) will definitely lock you into one vertical, so we definitely have to make sure we don’t get ourselves locked in. (Louisiana Tech) takes away the long ball, so we have to make sure again that we can do more than just that.”

The Bobcats are going into the game led by sophomore transfer Tori Hale, who currently leads the team in points with 13 and is tied for the team lead with four goals scored on the season.

Freshman forward Lynsey Curry is holding her own in this early season of WAC play. She is currently second in the conference with goals scored and points, and is in the top ten in shots, shots per game and points per game. She is finding early success in her young collegiate career, but admits this is not high school soccer.

“It’s definitely a higher pace. The ball moves quicker, so it’s just that much more intense and definitely a lot more aggressive, physical,” Curry said. “I’m getting the hang of it. Obviously, sometimes our competition is harder than others, and they know how to read our pace. And we have to change it and I have to adjust.”

The Bobcats are entering into the game coming off a split on a west coast road trip, with a win against San Jose State University and a loss to the defending WAC champions Utah State. The girls hold a record of 3-4 in games played at the Bobcat Soccer Complex, but have outscored their opposition 11-7. The club hopes playing at home will help them get back on the winning track.

“I think it will be good to be back at home,” said junior midfielder Sydney Curry. “We are always more pumped and ready to play for our fans, so it’ll be good to play in front of them and hopefully we can get a win for them.”

The Bobcats currently sit third in the WAC. Louisiana Tech is sixth, but only three points behind Texas State. The Bobcats are only two points back of current conference leader Utah State University heading into this weekend’s matchup. The match between the Bobcats and the Techsters has heavy implications on the standings with only three weeks left in the regular season, and the WAC tournament right around the corner.

Twitter: @TState_Sports18