FOLEY, Ala. – The Warhawks (13-2-4, 6-0-4 SBC) remains in Foley for the finals of the Sun Belt Championship tournament, now facing fourth-ranked Texas State (9-3-6, 5-1-4 SBC) at 7 p.m. on Saturday (Nov. 8). After claiming the team's first-ever regular season title, ULM is ready to get keep things rolling in the postseason.
REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS –
ULM claimed the Sun Belt regular season title in a 2-1 victory over the Ragin' Cajuns on Wednesday (Oct. 29), the team's first in program history. After getting to a 1-0 lead, the Cajuns tied it up in the second half. Ava Goodman then played hero, launching a 40-footer into the back of the net for the game winner. The six conference wins for ULM is the most since joining the Sun Belt, 12 wins being the most since 2004.
RACKING UP SUN BELT HONORS –
ULM Soccer picked up five all-conference selections, with Skylar Blaise receiving the honor of Player of the Year. Head coach Will Roberts was also recognized as the Sun Belt Coach of the Year. Blaise and Libby Holmes were named to the All-Sun Belt First Team, with Jen Handy named to the Second Team and Beth Strutton and Margret Edda Bjarnadottir named to the Third Team. Blaise is ULM's first Sun Belt Player of the Year, as well as Blaise's first all-conference recognition. Roberts' honor is the second Coach of the Year award that ULM has received since joining the Sun Belt in 2006.
With five players named All-Sun Belt, ULM claims the most all-conference honors since joining the Sun Belt. The Warhawks hold the second-most players named all-conference in 2025, as Old Dominion picks up six. As Blaise and Holmes are named to the First Team, ULM also claims the most players awarded to an all-conference first team since 2005. This is each player's first All-Sun Belt selection.
POSTSEASON HISTORY –
The Warhawks will be traveling to Foley for the third-straight season. In the five trips and nine matches ULM has taken to the Sun Belt Championship tournament, they claim a 4-3-2 record. In the last trip to Foley in 2024, the Warhawks went to overtime with the top-seeded James Madison Dukes, falling in penalty kicks after a 0-0 draw in the first round. This is ULM's first trip to the championship match.
SCOUTING THE BOBCATS –
The Bobcats are currently on a two-match unbeaten streak in the conference tournament, after concluding the season third in the Sun Belt West. Texas State leads the league in goals (41), assists (43) and points (125). The Bobcats collected three All-Sun Belt selections, with Helen Alormenu and Victoria Meza named to the first team. Alormenu leads the team in points (5g, 5a) and shots, while Mady Soumare leads the team with six goals.
UNBEATEN STREAK –
The Warhawks hold the Sun Belt's longest active undefeated streak with 15 matches, dating back to the 2-1 win over Little Rock on August 27. They have outscored opponents 30-14 during the run, with 10 of their 30 goals scored by a different player. The Warhawks also completed regular season play unbeaten in the Sun Belt.
SERIES VS. TEXAS STATE –
This is the 29th meeting between the Bobcats and the Warhawks, the second meeting in the postseason. The first meeting between the two teams was in 1999, ULM's inaugural season as a women's soccer program, where Texas State claimed the 2-0 win. The Warhawks have faced Texas State as conference opponents over two different spans, first in the Southland Conference (1999-2005) and again in the Sun Belt Conference (2013-25). The last time ULM saw the Bobcats in the postseason was 2004, falling 0-1 in overtime in the Southland Conference Tournament.
TRAILBLAISER –
Skylar Blaise scored her 23rd career goal in the regular season finale against the Ragin' Cajuns, surpassing Cindy Barker (2000-03) as ULM's all-time leading scorer. She has scored two more in the postseason to reach 25 career goals. The senior leads the conference in goals (14), ranking 16th in the NCAA. She has reached the record books in season goals, season points and career shots on goal to name a few. Blaise was recognized as Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week on September 23 and again on October 7.
LAST TIME OUT –
FOLEY, Ala. – The ULM soccer team extended its unbeaten streak to 15 in a 3-2 win over the two seed, Old Dominion in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Tournament. 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.
As the Warhawk offense broke free, Margret Edda Bjarnadottir tried to find the score, but it was saved by goalkeeper Ellie Goodrich. While Goodrich protected the goal from Bjarnadottir, Skylar Blaise was right there to knock in the ball for a score. 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. A foul for Old Dominion in the 29th 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 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. As the Monarchs continue to place pressure on ULM, it was Ashley Economopoulos who found the back of the net in the 88th 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.
FOLLOW THE WARHAWKS –
Saturday's match will be available for streaming on ESPN+. Live stats for the match will also be available. Links to live stats and video streams for all matches, when available, can be found at ULMWarhawks.com.
