SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State soccer team battled with toughness, but ultimately fell to the Texas Longhorns on Sunday evening by a score of 2-0 in front of 1,153 fans, the largest crowd at the Bobcat Soccer Complex since 2008.


 
Texas State started off strong in the midfield against the Longhorns, winning battles that would provide the Bobcats with opportunities on the offensive side of the ball.
 
Texas, however, stepped up its defense and started to maintain control through the 10 minute mark of the contest.
 
In the 11^th minute of the contest, the Texas offense maintained what appeared to be a breakaway, but at the last moments of the run, the Texas State defense stepped in and blocked a shot to keep it a nil-nil game at that point.
 
Just over a minute later, the Longhorns did get on the board, scoring a dribbler of a shot after a pass from the left side. The score would remain 1-0 through the intermission.
 
Fifteen minutes into the second half, the Longhorns extended their lead to 2-0 with a header in the middle of the box after a corner kick by Texas. The Longhorns were just inches shy of two more goals during the second half, but those shots were deflected by the cross bar and ultimately ended in the hands of Bobcat goalkeeper Caitlynn Rinehart.
 
Freshman Chandler Cooney fired a shot in the 73^rd minute of the contest that Longhorn goalkeeper Abby Smith dove to save as she attempted to cut the Texas lead to one.
 
In the 82^nd minute, sophomore midfielder Maddie Nichols also tried to boost the Bobcat offense as she fired a shot that a Longhorn defender saved in the goal. Tori Hale managed to work the Longhorn goalkeeper out of her goal, providing Nichols with an open goal opportunity.
 
The Longhorns ended up finishing with 26 shots compared to 14 by Texas State. Of the Bobcats' 14 shots, nine of them were on goal.
 
Rinehart finished the game with a season-high nine saves.
 
Tonight's contest against the Longhorns concludes non-conference play for the Bobcats. Conference play will begin next Friday evening on the road against Arkansas State. Kick-off against the Red Wolves is scheduled for 7 p.m.

@TXStateSoccer is kicking off against Texas at home, right... NOW! Go support our soccer team! #eatemup #battlecry #txst

— Cat Camp (@Cat_Camp) September 22, 2014