HOUSTON – The Texas State soccer team (1-2-1) battled with No. 13 Rice (5-0-0) but fell 2-1 Thursday night at Holloway Field.
 
The Owls got on the board in the third minute when a shot by Delaney Schultz from inside the box deflected off a Bobcat defender and into the back of the net.
 
Early in the 20th minute, both Kiara Gonzales and Mya Ulloa both had good looks on goal off a corner kick. However, Rice's goalkeeper stopped Gonzales' attempt and then a defender was on the line to block Ulloa's follow-up shot.
 
Three minutes later Schulz headed in a corner kick to extend the Owls lead to 2-0.
 
Gonzales nearly found the upper left corner from a difficult angle but saw the keeper made a leaping save to push the ball away for a corner kick in the 53rd minute.
 
In the 66th minute, an Owls corner kick was bending into goal when Beth Agee punched the ball away for her seventh save of the evening. It was also the 100th stop in her young Bobcat career, becoming the ninth player in program history to reach the century mark.
 
Madison Humphrey stole the ball from a Rice defender on the left side for a 1-on-1 opportunity with the goalkeeper. The junior slotted the ball past the keeper's reach, off the right post and it bounced in to cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 72nd minute.
 
With just over four minutes left on the clock, Hannah Solano tied an attempt from 20 yards out. The ball scooted just past the left post for a goal kick.
 
Seven of the Bobcats' shots came from six different plays led by Gonzales' two attempts.
 
Making her second start of the season in goal, Agee stopped a career-high 11 shots. It was the most saves by a TXST goalkeeper since Amanda Byrd had 12 stops on Sept. 9, 2007 at Arkansas State.
 
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