Texas A&M
Rhode Island
Texas A&M 3, Rhode Island 2
Aug 23, 2008 | Soccer
Aug. 22, 2008
COLLEGE STATION - The No. 10 Texas A&M soccer team opened the 2008 season Friday evening with a 3-2 victory over Rhode Island in front of 6,712 fans at the Aggie Soccer Stadium.
"The 12th Man is such a great thing for women's college soccer," said head coach G Guerrieri. "Not only is it a gigantic crowd but it's a crowd that is fun to play in front of and lifts our team to play well."
A&M earned its first victory of the year after outshooting the Rams 25-3, much due to good possession early in the match. Sophomore Rachel Shipley and freshman Beth West combined for eight shots, six of which were on frame. The duo totaled five points on the night, each scoring a goal, while Shipley chipped in an assist.
"Rachel had a great night," Guerrieri said. "She really found people well and was a commanding force in the middle of the field, as was Laura Grace (Robinson) and Beth (West)."
A&M came out strong in the first half, firing 17 shots to the Rams two. The first goal of the year came in the 10th minute from Shipley. Junior Emily Peterson was dribbling outside the 18-yard box as the ball was kicked away by a Ram defender. A quick Shipley picked the ball up and fired a shot through traffic into the lower right side netting to get the Aggies out to a 1-0 lead.
Shipley factored into the scoring again in the 20th minute. The sophomore midfielder had the ball roughly 25 yards out and sent a pass to freshman Jennifer Kmezich on the left side. Kmezich then crossed the ball to fellow freshman West who was streaking across the goal. West drove the ball into the lower left netting for the 2-0 Aggie advantage.
Rhode Island cut the lead in half in the game's 25th minute. Agnes Arnadottir was awarded a free kick in the penalty area and a misclear by the defense allowed Courtney David to line a shot that crossed the goal line before it ricocheted off the left post.
The Aggies finished off the first-half scoring in the 30th minute when Bri Young was awarded a free kick after a Ram foul. The Castle Pines North, Colo., native sent the ball to the top of the six-yard box pulling Rhode Island keeper Jackie Feed up, allowing sophomore Alyssa Mautz to head the ball into an open goal.
Rhode Island managed a second goal in the 79th minute when Sarah Helldoerfer crossed the ball to Ina Bjorklid. Bjorklid received the pass in the left corner of the six-yard box and fired a shot into the upper right 90 to make the score 3-2.
"There were a lot of things in this match we could build on," said Guerrieri. "The overall fitness of the team was good. We're always proud of the way we can run the pace of a match. We did a good job of limiting chances, but we've got to be able to close people down."
The Aggies return to action on Sunday as they take on McNeese State at 6:00 p.m. at the Aggie Soccer Stadium.
