By Matt Present. SAN MARCOS, Texas — In a physical defensive battle in the season finale, Texas State scored in the 77th minute to edge App State, 1-0.
The Mountaineers will be the No. 7 seed in the Sun Belt Tournament and face Marshall, the No. 10 seed, at 5 p.m. ET in Foley, Ala., on Oct. 31.
Neither team produced many offensive chances in the opening half of play but both ratcheted up the intensity in the second stanza. Breckyn Monteith recorded the best opportunity for the Mountaineers (6-8-4 overall, 5-5-0 Sun Belt Conference) on the night, when early in the second half she rifled a shot that deflected off the hands of the Bobcats (12-4-2, 5-3-1) goaltender and out for a corner kick. Shannon Studer and Emma McGibany also tallied shots on goal for the Mountaineers.
Texas State produced a flurry of second half opportunities with less than 20 minutes to play, and ultimately came away with the lone goal of the contest on a Kiara Gonzales header and 14 minutes remaining. The Bobcats recorded 13 of their 17 shots in the second half.
Kerry Eagleston recorded three saves on the night for the Mountaineers, including smothering a ball on the goal line midway through the second half.
Studer, Monteith, Katilyn Little, and Skyler Walk each played all 90 minutes for the Mountaineers, while Carly Lantz earned her first start of the season along the back line.
The No. 7-seeded Mountaineers and No. 10-seeded Thundering Herd will battle for the right to face No. 2 Arkansas State, Nov. 2, at 2:30 p.m. All Sun Belt Tournament matches will be broadcast on ESPN+.
FINAL REGULAR SEASON SUN BELT CONFERENCE STANDINGS
East Division
- Georgia Southern (7-1-2 SBC, 8-3-5 overall)
- James Madison (6-1-3, 10-3-5)
- Old Dominion (5-4-1, 7-8-2)
- App State (5-5, 6-8-4)
- Georgia State (3-5-2, 7-6-5)
- Marshall (2-5-3, 3-9-5)
- Coastal Carolina (2-6-2, 3-10-4)
West Division
- Arkansas State (7-2-1, 9-5-3)
- South Alabama (6-1-3, 10-2-6)
- Texas State (6-3-1, 12-4-2)
- Southern Miss (2-5-3, 2-9-4)
- TIE – Louisiana (2-6-2, 2-9-5)
- TIE – ULM (2-6-2, 10-6-3)
- Troy (1-6-3, 3-9-4)
TOURNAMENT SEEDINGS
- Georgia Southern
- South Alabama
- Arkansas State
- James Madison
- Texas State
- Old Dominion
- App State
- Georgia State
- Southern Miss
- Marshall
PAST TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS
- 2000 – FIU def. North Texas
- 2001 – Denver def. North Texas
- 2002 – Denver def. North Texas
- 2003 – Denver def. North Texas
- 2004 – North Texas def. FIU
- 2005 – North Texas def. South Alabama
- 2006 – Denver def. North Texas
- 2007 – Denver def. North Texas
- 2008 – Denver def. Western Kentucky
- 2009 – Denver def. Little Rock
- 2010 – Middle Tennessee def. Denver
- 2011 – FIU def. Western Kentucky
- 2012 – North Texas def. FIU
- 2013 – South Alabama def. Western Kentucky
- 2014 – South Alabama def. Troy
- 2015 – South Alabama def. Georgia State
- 2016 – South Alabama def. Coastal Carolina
- 2017 – South Alabama def. Coastal Carolina
- 2018 – Little Rock def. Texas State
- 2019 – South Alabama def. Arkansas State
- 2020 – South Alabama def. Arkansas State
- 2021 – South Alabama def. Georgia Southern
