HUNTSVILLE — The temperature was not the only thing scorching at Pritchett Field on Thursday.
Sam Houston was red hot too.
The Bearkats scored two goals in less than three minutes to stun NM State 3-2 in the Conference USA opener. Sam Houston improved to 4-3-2 on the season while the Aggies, who were picked to finish second in the league in the preseason, dropped to 5-4-1.
The Kats came alive in the second half after a tough first 45 minutes that hardly saw Sam Houston on the NM State side of the pitch. The Aggies grabbed a 1-0 lead with a goal in the 33
rd minute.
Cadence Sanders picked the ideal time to score her first career goal. Senior
Landri Townsend made a fantastic cross into the box after beating her defender down the left side, and Sanders poked the ball into the net for the equalizer.
The match stayed scoreless for the next 20 minutes until NM State retook the lead in the 72
nd minute.
That's when the fireworks started.
Townsend was the one who came up with the clutch goal to knot the match back up at 2 when she scored on a penalty kick following a caution, one of six yellow cards handed out, inside the box. It was her team-leading fourth goal of the season and the 17
th of her career.
In the blink of an eye, the Kats were in the lead for the first time in the match.
Indigo Sims fired a shot at Aggie keeper Valerie Guha and the ball ricocheted right to
Andrea Nugent who punched it in for the game winner.
Sam Houston has the weekend off before hitting the road to face Jax State on Sept. 26 at 7 p.m.
