Relegation is the most dreaded word a soccer fan could bear to hear. When a team is relegated, that means it can no longer participate in the highest class of soccer, such as the English Premier League. To be relegated, the team has to have one of the three worst records in the league, and gets replaced by a minor league team.  Some of those relegated teams could stay in the minors for years, and it is really disheartening for a fan.

As an avid follower of soccer, or football as my European brethren would like us Americans to call it, relegation crossed my mind for the Texas State Women’s Soccer program.

The club had a scoreless streak of four games and went seven without a win going 0-6-1. That stretch of dismal play screamed relegation. The team looked like they were not on the same page and seemed disorganized as a unit. However, Coach Kat Conner preached “patience” with the team. I had no choice but to be patient.

Texas State used a 14-3 run to start the second half against Texas Christian University in a 91-80 win, marking the Bobcats’ first win against a Big 12 opponent in seven years.

“I keep telling everyone it wasn’t sweet for just the team, but a great win for Texas State period,” said Coach Zenerae Antoine. “Any time we have the opportunity to beat a team within our own state at the (Bowl Championship Series) level it’s always fun, and I feel like everyone shares in those kinds of victories.”

The Bobcats came out using fast-paced style offense to their advantage, starting the game on an 18-7 run. Texas State would later stretch its lead 22-10, before the Horned Frogs climbed their way back to end the first half down just four, 41-37.

TCU started the game by making a 3-pointer, but made just two of its next 12 from behind the three-point line. The Horned Frogs finished the game shooting 20 percent from beyond the arc.

San Marcos residents voted Alvin Ord’s as the best sandwich spot in town.  

Iris Martin, Alvin Ord’s manager, attributes the store’s success to the freshness of the ingredients and how the sandwiches are made. Martin said they bake and slice the breads, slice the vegetables and shred the cheese every morning.

“We try to give the customer an excellent product with a fresh sandwich,” Martin said. “Everything we do is fresh. It helps that we try to make the sandwich made to order and as fresh as possible.”

Jeremy Leonhardt, accounting sophomore, raved about the sandwiches being sold at Alvin Ord’s and the customer service he received at the sub shop.

Tanger Outlets were recently voted the best specialty store in San Marcos.

Travis Gaither, management freshman and outlet customer, said the reason for the great success of the outlets is the fact that Tanger is made up of “quality” stores.

“It doesn’t surprise me that the Tanger Outlets were voted the best specialty store,” Gaither said. “When a (mall) is made up of quality stores like Tanger, it’s hard to just pick one favorite store. I do like the outlets, but nothing beats the Nike store.”

Nike has had famous athletes like Michael Jordan, Mia Hamm and Tiger Woods sport the famous swoosh icon to people worldwide. Nike employee Paige Lovett attributes their success to these athletes for making the brand famous and Nike’s ability to change with the times.

The Bobcat soccer team went far in their first season in the WAC, but not far enough to take home the title.

Texas State freshman Lynsey Curry scored the game-winning goal in the 97th minute. The goal gave the Bobcats a 2-1 sudden death overtime victory to beat the University of Idaho in the quarterfinals of the WAC tournament. However, they were eliminated by the University of Denver 2-0 in the semifinals, ending the team’s season.

The club entered the tournament as the overall 3-seed and had a first round matchup with the 6-seed Vandals. Idaho was attempting to avenge an early season loss they suffered Sept. 28 at the hands of Texas State. That game saw the Bobcats come from behind late to win the match 2-1, and Thursday’s match fared no differently.

The Texas State soccer team is entering Utah determined to capture a WAC championship and make the NCAA tournament in back-to-back seasons.

The Bobcats were able to clinch the overall No. 3 seed in the conference tournament this past Sunday with a 1-0 win over their Interstate 35 rival University of Texas at San Antonio. The shutout marked their second in three games and the fifth overall for the season. Coach Kat Conner and the teammates look to keep the energy going into tournament play.

“Ultimately, this was a postseason game because it was win or go home,” Conner said. “The players are going to be jazzed to have the momentum and start their run again of win or go home, and we want to keep it going.”

The Bobcats will play the University of Idaho, which gained the sixth seed by beating New Mexico State University 3-1 this past weekend. The Vandals are led by Chelsea Small, the WAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year.

The Bobcat soccer team defeated the University of Texas at San Antonio in double overtime on Sunday in San Antonio to clinch the overall No. 3 seed in the WAC tournament.

Both teams were held to a stalemate in regulation and the first overtime period. The game would come down to the waning minutes of the last overtime half.

Junior midfielder Kelsie Townsend was able to corral a loose ball around the penalty box with 1:28 left in double overtime. Townsend took a shot toward the goal and sent the ball over the keeper’s head for the game winner. It was Townsend’s first goal of the season.

“We got fired up there at the end because we really wanted to score,” Townsend said after the game. “(The ball) built up from the defense and the midfield into the forwards, and it was bobbling around, and I just got on the end of it.”

The Bobcat soccer team will head down to San Antonio Sunday morning to take on their Interstate 35 rivals, the University of Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners, in a battle for playoff positioning.

Texas State (6-11-1, 3-4-0) is currently placed fourth in the conference standings and is playing to cement its spot in the WAC tournament. Following a 0-1 loss at the University of Denver, Coach Kat Conner and the team know what is at stake Sunday and look to stay motivated and focused.

“To be honest, after the Denver game, it was a heartbreaking loss,” Conner said. “The girls wanted it and immediately wanted to know where they stood in the standings. They knew it was going to come down to this game this weekend at UTSA.”

The Bobcats captured a win against New Mexico State University in San Marcos on Senior Day, but lost to the University of Denver on the road, remaining in fourth place in the WAC.

Ali Myers, sophomore midfielder, leaps for a header Oct. 19 against NMSU at the Bobcat Soccer Complex. Texas State walked away with a 3-0 win.

Against the Aggies, Texas State’s attack was effective, outshooting New Mexico State 17-8 and resulting in a 3-0 sweep at the Bobcat Soccer Complex. The game marked the last time in 2012 the Bobcat seniors would play at home.

The age-old adage that soccer is a game of runs has been true all season long for sophomore midfielder Tori Hale.

Hale is a transfer student from Texas Christian University who arrived at Texas State on Aug. 1, just nine days before the team’s first exhibition match against Texas. Hale had to weigh her options about leaving Fort Worth after TCU went through a coaching staff change.

“The situation we had last semester with TCU made it kind of where I had to go somewhere else or not play this season,” Hale said. “It was pretty easy to decide because (Texas State) was closer than the other places I was looking, and I didn’t really want to go play soccer somewhere up in like Montana or Oklahoma.”