Texas A&M
Oklahoma
No. 6 Soccer Blanks Sooners 1-0
Oct 07, 2007 | Soccer
October 07, 2007
The 6th-ranked Texas A&M soccer team used a first half goal and smothering defensive play to shutout the Oklahoma Sooners 1-0 on Sunday afternoon at John Crain Field in Norman, Okla.
The Aggies moved to 9-2-1, 3-1-0 in Big 12 play with the 1-0 shutout, while the Sooners fell to 5-5-2, 1-3-0 in league play.
?This was a good weekend for us, to be able to come to Oklahoma to play against two very disciplined and very athletic teams in Oklahoma State and Oklahoma,? A&M head coach G Guerrieri said ?To be able to come away with two wins is a good weekend. We came here understanding that this would be a real challenge. We are hoping to be able to come back to Aggieland, regroup and learn from the games we?™ve played this weekend and try to play even better next Friday.?
The Aggies controlled the flow of the game for the entirety of the match, limiting the Sooners?™ access to their attacking third of the field. A&M posted an offensive onslaught in the first 45 minutes, outshooting Oklahoma 14-2 and continued to press in the second half as Oklahoma kept nine players back on defense, posting 10 more shots to OU?™s three.
The only goal of the match came when the Sooner defense committed a foul just outside the OU penalty area in the 34th minute. The foul set up a free kick for senior midfielder Allison Martino just outside the 20-yard mark. Martino lifted the ball just over the Oklahoma security wall towards the right side of the goal where Nicole Ketchum was waiting to head home her fourth goal of the season, second gamewinner in as many games.
?I thought our defense did a great job today,? Guerrieri ended. ?I wish we could have finished more of our chances, but I am very pleased with our result and with the knowledge that we can close out a 1-0 game.?
A&M created numerous scoring opportunities, hitting the post once in the first half and forcing OU keper Tara MacDonald to make several saves on shots from point blank range.
In the 62nd minute Pistorius nearly put the Aggies up 2-0 as she collected a pass on the left side of the goal from Elisabeth Jones who was positioned on the right sideline; and fired a hard, low shot at the close post, however MacDonald was able to get a foot on the ball and clear it off the line.
The Sooners?™ best chance to score in the match came when Tenesha Duncan had an open breakaway down the left flank with just over 25 minutes left in regulation, but the senior forward had the ball tackled away by the Aggie defense as she tried to center herself in front of the goal.
With the win A& M remains a perfect 13-0-0 all-time against Oklahoma.
The Aggies return to College Station to host the Texas Longhorns in the State Farm Lone Star Showdown on Friday night at the Aggie Soccer Stadium. Game-time is set for 7:30 p.m.
