SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State soccer team dropped its first Sun Belt Conference match of the season Thursday night at the Bobcat Soccer Complex as James Madison claimed a 3-1 victory.
 
With the loss, the Bobcats drop to 9-2-2 on the season and 3-1-1 in conference play while the Dukes are now 8-2-3 overall and 4-0-1 in the Sun Belt.
 
"I am extremely proud of this team and their effort. JMU is a very good and talented team. They have quite a few special players that made big plays when it mattered," said head coach Steve Holeman. "For Sunday, I think we need to keep doing what we have been doing."
 
TXST held a slim 12-11 advantage in shots while both teams placed seven shots on goal. Pacing the bobcats with two shots apiece were Madi Goss, Chloe Jones, Haley Shaw and Mya Ulloa.
 
In goal, Katelyn Chrisman made four saves. She now has 52 stops in her career and needs 10 more to move into the program's top 10.
 
The first half saw the Dukes dominate possession, however it was the Bobcats with the first great opportunity of the evening off a corner kick. Shaw sent in a corner late in the 19 minute that went past the frame of goal to Jones. The freshmen sent the ball back across and found Shaw, who again put the ball into the danger area. A header attempt by Avery Thies ended up going just over the crossbar.
 
JMU would get the breakthrough tally in the 37th minute. Lexi Vanderlinden's shot was saved by Chrisman but the ball ended up at the feet of Lidia Nduka, who put the ball into the back of the net for the 1-0 lead.
 
The Dukes doubled their advantage at the end of the 58th minute when Suwaibatu Mohammed kicked the ball on the bounce into the upper right corner.
 
Both Wimberley Wright and Ulloa had opportunities to cut the deficit in half with a little under 20 minutes left on the clock. A shot in the box was saved by the keeper and the rebound came to Ulloa, who also saw her attempt stopped at near point-blank range.
 
With just under 15 minutes remaining in the match, JMU tacked on a third goal on a shot within 10 yards of goal from Amanda Attanasi.
 
In the 79th minute, Kiara Gonzales was tripped up from behind in the 18-yard box to draw a penalty kick. Goss stepped up and put the spot kick into the back of the net to snap the Dukes' shutout streak at 476:31 minutes and the first allowed during Sun Belt play. The goal was Goss' team leading seventh of the season and third on a penalty kick to tie the program's season record that was set in 2019 by Kaylee Davis.

GOAL!!! @madi_alder converts a penalty kick to end the Dukes' shutout streak!#EatEmUp pic.twitter.com/FcpQCBAM2K

— Texas State Soccer (@TXStateSoccer) October 7, 2022

 
A free kick from Kamaria Williams resulted in another near goal for TXST. The kick in the 81st minute coming from 30 yards out saw it deflect off the goalie and right to Kiara Gonzales. The senior forward's attempt was cleared off the line by a JMU defender to keep it a two-goal deficit for the Bobcats.
 
The last look for Texas State came off a corner kick with six minutes showing on the clock. Goss flicked the incoming ball towards the near post but the keeper was there to catch it.
 
Next up for the Bobcats is a trip to the Pelican State to take on Louisiana at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
 
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