SAN MARCOS, Texas – Thursday night at the Bobcat Soccer Complex will see the Sun Belt Conference East and West Division leaders face off. Kickoff between the Texas State soccer team (9-1-2, 3-0-1 Sun Belt) and James Madison (7-2-3, 3-0-1 Sun Belt) is set for 7 p.m.
 
Fans can catch the match on ESPN+ with Brant Freeman on the call and live stats will also be available.
 
About Texas State
This past Saturday saw the Bobcats go on the road and claim a 1-0 win over Southern Miss with the lone goal being an own goal. TXST is off to its best start in conference play since 2018 when it won the regular season title. The Bobcats are currently a point ahead of Arkansas State and two up on South Alabama in the Sun Belt West Division.
 
Madi Goss leads Texas State with six goals, which is tied for the third most in the conference. Zoe Junior has netted four goals with all of them being match-winners to rank fourth in the nation and tied for the most in the Sun Belt. Also finding the back of the net twice has been Bailey Peschel, Addison Peters and Olivia Wright.
 
Entering with a team leading four assists is Juana Plata. The only other player Bobcat with multiple assists on the year is Mya Ulloa with two.
 
Katelyn Chrisman sports a 1.01 GAA with 33 saves and a .750 save percentage. She recorded her third shutout of the season against the Golden Eagles.
 
About James Madison
The Dukes defeated App State 1-0 last Friday to claim its third by such a score line in conference play with the other two against Coastal Carolina and Old Dominion. The lone tie was a scoreless contest at Southern Miss. On the road this season, JMU is 4-1-1 with the lone loss coming at then No. 5 Virginia.
 
Amanda Attanasi leads the Dukes with five goals, 13 points, 28 shots and 16 shots on goal. She is tied for the conference lead with four match-winning goals. Her three assists are tied for the most on the team with Lexi Vanderlinden. Netting four goals has been Lidia Nduka, who has added two assists while taking 13 shots and seven shots on goal.
 
In goal, Alexandra Blom has started nine matches and comes into Thursday with a 0.33 GAA and made 38 saves for a .927 save percentage. Rachel Bumps has yet to allow a goal in 138:31 minutes between the posts and made two saves while Haley Stoup has stopped six shots and allowed a goal to sport a 0.67 GAA.
 
As a team, JMU is ranked second in the nation with a 0.33 GAA and .922 save percentage. Its nine shutouts are tied for the fourth most in the country with Mississippi State and Virginia.
 
All-Time Series
Thursday will be the first-ever meeting between Texas State and James Madison. The Dukes will be the first Virginia-based school that the Bobcats will play.
 
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