By james art 
Texas State soccer opened the Sun Belt Conference tournament with a shutout of six-seed Appalachian State for the second time in just over a week in a convincing 2-0 victory Monday at the Foley Sports Complex in Foley, Alabama.
The two teams played each other eight days earlier in their penultimate game of the season. The Bobcats secured that win with a late goal, but they were able to do their damage earlier in this game.
The first goal of the tournament came from fifth-year midfielder Mya Ulloa in the 24th minute after junior forward Mady Soumare picked up the ball in midfield before sending a left-footed pass right to Ulloa, who calmly slotted home the opening goal.
The Bobcats took control of the game from the jump and refused to let up the pressure; the team sent six first-half shots at redshirt freshman goalie Sarah Womack, forcing one save. The Bobcat defense was huge in snuffing out any glimmer of a chance for the Mountaineers, allowing senior goalkeeper Katelyn Chrisman to have a trouble-free first 45 minutes.
The second half consisted of more of the same for head coach Steve Hollemans’ side, who found an insurance policy in the form of a second goal just four minutes into the second half. Following a free kick, senior forward Zoe Junior headed a header into the Mountaineer box that was expertly cleared by a great touch by Sumare, who beat his defender before rounding the keeper for the second goal of the game.
Texas State tried to hold onto the lead, but the Mountaineers wouldn’t go down without a fight as they put together four second-half touchdowns, forcing Chrisman to start his first action of the night. Chrisman finished the game with two saves and a clean sheet.
The Bobcats now hold an 8-2-1 record in all-time meetings against Appalachian State and are on a four-game unbeaten streak, including three straight against the Mountaineers.
The Bobcats will look to continue rolling through their competition en route to conference glory, but will have to overcome seven seed Coastal Carolina in the semifinals.
The Chanticleers are coming off an upset first-round win over two-seed South Alabama.
Kickoff between Texas State and Coastal Carolina is set for 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 6 at the Foley Sports Complex in Foley, AL. The match will be available to stream on ESPN+.