FOLEY, Ala. – The ULM soccer team (13-2-4, 6-0-4 Sun Belt) extended its unbeaten streak to 15 in a 3-2 win over the two seed, Old Dominion (10-3-4, 6-1-3 Sun Belt) in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Tournament. After Skylar Blaise notched a brace in the first 25 minutes, an own-goal secured a 3-0 lead at the half for the Warhawks. But the Monarchs made the comeback attempt, scoring two goals to keep it close.
 
While the first half was all offense for ULM, the second was all defense. Old Dominion posted 15 shots in the second half for a 20-5 advantage over the entire contest. It was the Warhawk backline and goalkeeper Jen Handy who prevented the comeback and held the Monarchs at a disadvantage.
 
It was a slow start on the offense for both teams, as they tried to sort out each other's playing style. A double corner kick for the Monarchs brought on multiple scoring opportunities, but Jen Handy and the ULM backline prevented the score. 
 
As the Warhawk offense broke free and tried to make something happen, Margret Edda Bjarnadottir tried to find the score, but it was saved by goalkeeper Ellie Goodrich. While Goodrich protected the goal from Bjarnadottir, Blaise was right there to knock in the ball for her 13^th goal of the season.
 
Just five minutes later, Ava Goodman launched the ball to look for a score, hitting the crossbar. The ball dropped in place for Blaise to score her second goal of the match, logging her fourth brace of her career for the 2-0 lead just 22 minutes in. 
 
As the Monarchs looked to find a momentum shift, Sophia Youngman stayed preventing a score on the right side of the pitch. A foul for Old Dominion in the 29^th minute brought a free kick for Libby Holmes and ULM. The free kick was headed by a Monarch, who knocked the ball back for a third Warhawk score in the first half. The last own-goal seen by ULM was in 2024, when an own-goal for ULM saw a loss against Old Dominion. Neither team was able to convert in the final 20 minutes, securing the 3-0 lead for the Warhawks at the half.
 
The final 45 minutes came up all Monarchs, as they quickly got to work on the hunt for the comeback. A few solid shots early swung the pendulum in favor of Old Dominion, a foul for Jaden Masters then setting up the free kick. Monarch Hannah Morgan was able to find the first score of the match for Old Dominion as they looked to close the gap.
 
Two quick yellow cards in the 77^th and 79^th minutes for ULM continued to roll Old Dominion's momentum. As the ULM backline made quick work of preventing any additional scores, Handy also picked up three saves in the second half to stop trouble. 
 
As the Monarchs continue to place pressure on ULM, it was Ashley Economopoulos who found the back of the net in the 88^th minute to really lay on the pressure. With the three-goal lead now closed at one, ULM was able to hold on and fight another day, walking away with the 3-2 score.
 
With another brace to her name, Blaise led the team with three shots, Bjarnadottir and Ines de Lope Casanova also collecting one. Goalkeeper Handy posted four saves for the second-straight match to secure the victory.
 
The Warhawks will advance to the finals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament for the first time in program history, competing on Saturday (Nov. 8). ULM will kick off against either (1) South Alabama or (4) Texas State at 7 p.m. in Foley, Alabama.