RUSTON, La. — Sam Houston gave it everything it had only to drop a heartbreaking 2-0 match to top-seeded New Mexico State in the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament on Friday.
The two squads battled to a scoreless tie in the first half in a match eerily like their regular season meeting which ended in a 0-0 draw on Oct. 22 in Las Cruces.
The Aggies finally broke the tie in the 58
th minute on a goal by Gianna Valenti.
NM State added an insurance goal on a tough luck play for the Bearkats in the closing minutes. A shot by Loma McNeese was blocked by Hall but bounced right in the direction of Valenti who toe poked the ball on a slow roller that just made it past the goal line.
Hall finished with four saves for Sam Houston, which finished the season 6-7-4 with a 3-2 victory over FIU in the quarterfinals of the CUSA tournament Wednesday.
Tiana Johnson had two shots on goal for the Kats and just missed scoring a goal late in the first half.
