SAN MARCOS, Texas – Behind the second-largest crowd ever recorded at the Bobcat Soccer Complex with 1,239 in attendance, the Bobcats (9-3-3, 2-2-1 Pac-12) earned their second straight win in conference play with a 4-2 victory over Gonzaga (7-7-2, 2-3-0 Pac-12) on Thursday night.
An early start for the Bulldogs was fueled by a successful penalty kick in just the 6th minute to grab a 1-0 advantage.
The Bobcats provided a response when senior
Victoria Meza leveled the score in the early going by finding the back of the net with a one-touch goal led by a long ball from
Jenny Ngankem. Meza, who returned to the lineup after an injury at No. 19 Utah State on Oct. 1, picked up right where she left off and notched another goal in the 31st minute for her fourth brace and conference second-best 10th goal of her memorable senior campaign. Assisting on the play was
Sadie Guzman and a second assist from
Matsuri Tsutsui, who delivered her team-best seventh assist of the year.
Following Meza's first goal was senior
Annabelle Fisher, who gave the Bobcats a lead they wouldn't return when taking a 2-1 advantage in the 20th minute. Meza would record an assist on the play, as Fisher lobbed one over the head of the Bulldog keeper with an impressive touch and into the mouth of the goal.
Senior
Kaylie Smith scored Texas State's fourth goal of the evening, marking her third of the season. Meza and
Constance Agyemang were credited with the assists, with Meza's two goals and two assists contributing to all four Bobcat goals in the contest.
A late opportunity sparked for Gonzaga when a breakaway led Bobcat keeper
Caitlyn Draper to make a decision on the ball, while the Bulldog attacker floated one into the net in the final minute, leading to the 4-2 final score and Texas State victory.
Thursday night's crowd of 1,239 marked the second-largest attendance in Bobcat Soccer Complex history, surpassing the previous mark of 1,216 set during the 2006 Southland Conference Championship match against McNeese. For the first time since 2006, Texas State marks two matches with an attendance over 1,000 in the same season (Santa Clara, 1,016).
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Steve Holeman
"What a win against a very good Gonzaga team in front of our incredible crowd. Vic (
Victoria Meza) is on the MAC Hermann Watch List for a reason and she showed it tonight, so it was great seeing her perform in her first game back. We knew what's in front of us to make the conference tournament and we need to get our wins. Now we go into a very good Washington State team at their place, so we're looking forward to it."
UP NEXT
The Bobcats are wheels-up for their first-ever trip to Pullman, Washington to take on Washington State on Sunday, Oct. 25. Kickoff is slated for 3:00 p.m. CT.
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