SAN MARCOS, Texas – Playing with its back against the wall, the ULM soccer program came out of the intermission with a heavy heart and earned a huge 2-1 upset victory over second-place Texas State on Friday under the lights in front of a big crowd at the Bobcat Soccer Complex.
The game was scoreless in the 54th minute when junior Kelley O'Dwyer fired one in for the Warhawks (8-8-1, 2-5 SBC). The play started on a throw-in, and after a slight deflection off a Texas State (9-5-1, 4-2 SBC) center-back, O'Dwyer corralled it near the six-yard box and aimed for the top left corner. It marked the fourth goal and 11th point of the year for the Sugar Land, Texas product.
After the Bobcats scored the equalizer in the 62nd minute, junior Karlea Fehr launched in the game-winner in the 69th tick. After a deceiving cross-over move to her right in the open field, Fehr shot from about 40 yards out with pinpoint accuracy and tucked it right inside the crossbar for the deepest goal of the season. Sophomore Antonia Land assisted on the Lakewood, Colo., native's seventh score of the year.
Sophomore goalkeeper Katherine Werther (7-5) came up big for the Warhawks in net and earned the victory. She dove around for 12 saves, including a couple big chances for the Bobcats late in the game. Caitlynn Rinehart (9-5-1) suffered the loss for Texas State.
“This was a great win for our program. I'm very proud of our players for battling all game. We showed a lot of resilience and brought great energy to the field,” said ULM head coach Roberto Mazza. “We finished our chances and played well defensively.”
Texas State's goal was scored by Landry Lowe, assisted by Tori Hale.
Sophomore Jenna Pillon tallied a team-high four shots while Fehr took three. Sophomore defenders Cameron Stoker and Whitney Tuckfield played 90 minutes to preserve the victory.
With the win, ULM surpassed its conference total from last year and posted the program's most SBC wins since 2009. The Warhawks are now two games better than their overall win total from 2013.
It also marked the second straight year that ULM knocked off Texas State and by the same score. Though this year the Warhawks did not wait until the end of double overtime to earn the result. ULM moved to 6-3 against the Bobcats in the last nine meetings.
The Warhawks will look to duplicate their performance on Sunday when they close out the weekend at Appalachian State for a noon (CT) contest. Track the game in real-time on live stats.
