Texas A&M
College of Charleston
Aggies Hand Cougars 4-0 Loss Sunday Night
Sep 02, 2007 | Soccer
September 02, 2007
Senior forward Ashlee Pistorius netted two goals as the 5th-ranked Texas A&M soccer team handed the College of Charleston Cougars a 4-0 loss in front of 3,131 fans on Sunday evening at the Aggie Soccer Stadium.
"We really wanted to concentrate on our intensity and that we were going to take the game to our opponent; which is what we want to do all the time,? A&M head coach G Guerrieri said. ?We're going to play against a lot of teams who are very similar to what we saw Friday night, very organized, a lot of people behind the ball. It is up to our team to take ownership of the game, to take control and put the game in a pace that we like and also to have to pull them out of their shape. I thought all the attacking movements tonight were very good, a big improvement over just two nights ago."
A&M managed to find the back of the net twice within the first 10 minutes of play. In the sixth minute, freshman forward Rachel Shipley was tripped-up 18 yards from the goal. Senior midfielder Allison Martino took the free kick from the right side and weaved a hard shot through a cluster of players finding the back, left corner for the game-winner.
Not even two minutes later, Shipley sent a pass across the face of the goal to the left side where Pistorius drew Cougar keeper Sarah Wiggers out and beat her one-on-one for the All-American?™s first goal of the night.
The Aggie defense stifled any scoring opportunities Charleston tried to mount, limiting the Cougars to just one shot in the first 45 minutes of play, while A&M?™s attack managed to fire-off 15 shots of its own.
A&M came out in the second half even more fired up than in the first, scoring just two minutes into the period. Melissa Garey dribbled up the middle of the box, where Wiggers tried to dive at Garey?™s feet for the ball but misplayed the kick allowing Pistorius to slide in behind, take control of the ball for goal No.3 on the season.
"For Ashlee to get in behind was a good deal,? Guerrieri continued. ?We were able to get a lot of people into some different looks. Rachel looked real good on the outside. I thought Allison did a good job as far as getting us our width which then can open up some more gaps for us. Both Melissa and Ashlee did a good job up front and then our midfield is really starting to kind of come together as well.?
Garey would factor into the scoring yet again for the Aggies, with her back turned to the goal she collected a loose ball passing it back out to Amy Berend who was streaking across the top of the box. Berend lined a hard shot straight over Wiggers in the 57th minute for A&M?™s fourth and final goal of the game.
The Cougars best chance to score came late in the second half as A&M freshman keeper Kelly Dyer came out of the box to play a back-pass from Nicole Ketchum. Dyer?™s first touch caromed back to Charleston?™s Christian Patton who one-timed a chip at the Aggie goal only to have it headed away by a leaping Micah Stephens.
"Micah Stephens did a real good job. We've played her a little bit on the right and a little bit on the left just to give her a little bit more diversity in her game, and also to keep her in and keep her fitness going and going forward. I thought she was real good. Her concentration was fantastic tonight.
?Again, two wins on the weekend, two shutouts and two real good crowds (8,000-plus combined),? Guerrieri ended. ?I was real pleased all the way around."
A&M will fly-out for a tough road weekend facing No. 1 North Carolina on Friday and Duke on Sunday in the UNC Nike Classic in Chapel Hill, N.C.
