FOLEY, Ala. – Making her first start of the season, Maude Rouanet made eight saves in the quarterfinals match against No. 5 seed James Madison. Her biggest stop of the night won't count in her stats as she denied the Dukes on their fifth attempt in the penalty shootout that saw Texas State claim 5-4 to advance to the semifinals at the Foley Sports Complex.
 
The teams played to a 1-1 draw after 110 minutes of action with multiple chances for both teams to win in regulation or either of the two overtime periods.
 
With the result, TXST is now 8-3-7 on the season while the Dukes end their year with a 9-4-6 record.
 
JMU doubled Texas State's shot attempts 24-12 and had a 9-2 advantage in shots on goal. Both Helen Alormenu and Victoria Meza took five shots apiece with the other two on the night coming from Chloe Jones and Kaylie Smith.
 
It would be the Bobcats striking first early in the 33rd minute. Constancy Agyemang was able to beat a Duke player to the ball and knock it to Alormenu. The sophomore ran onto the ball and hit it first time into the box. The ball bounced once and Meza was able to get her right foot on it, flicking it past the oncoming goalkeeper to give TXST a 1-0 lead.
 
Midway through the 62nd minute, Alormenu would send in a cross from the left side. It hit off a JMU defender while at the same time the goalkeeper attempted to punch the ball away. That left an open net for Jones but her shot attempt with the outside of her right foot went wide of the frame and was cleared away.
 
The constant pressure from the Dukes paid off for them in the 73rd minute. Jordan Yang sent a cross in that was headed into the back of the net by Audrey Orrock to tie the contest.
 
Nearly five minutes later a long ball was played down the field to Ginny Lackey, the Sun Belt's Offensive Player of the Year. She attempted a left-footed shot that was denied by a diving Rouanet to keep it a 1-1 match.
 
A free kick was sent into the box by Angela Gatto in the 102nd minute. Alormenu flicked the ball to the back post with her head to Jones. The senior midfielder hit it first time up in the air back towards the other post. Alormenu was there for a header attempt but the ball sailed over the crossbar.
 
The sophomore midfielder from Accra, Ghana nearly ended the match in the dying seconds of the second overtime period. She tried a shot off a short clearance from 30 yards out that saw the ball land on top of the netting.
 
In the penalty kick shootout, both teams knocked home their first four attempts. Ellie Farrell saw her attempt to the right side of the goal be denied by Rouanet. Agyemang stepped up and buried her attempt to clinch the shootout victory.
 
It was the first penalty shootout for Texas State since the quarterfinals of the 2019 Sun Belt Tournament. The last time the Bobcats were on the positive result of a PK shootout was on Nov. 2, 2018 in the Sun Belt semifinals versus South Alabama.
 
Next up for TXST is a meeting with No. 1 seed South Alabama on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
 
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