COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Three Aggies scored to lift the Texas A&M soccer team to a 4-1 win over TCU on a sunny Sunday afternoon at the Aggie Soccer Stadium.
Freshman Jennifer Kmezich, junior Cydne Currie and freshman Raven Tatum each tallied goals in front of a crowd of green to honor Erin Buenger, a member of the Mystic '97 soccer team who is battling cancer.
"This was a good spring exercise for us, but it was really neat to see how many people came out in support of Erin wearing green," said head coach G Guerrieri. "I know it would mean a lot to her and it means a lot to us to see what the community does for its kids."
The Aggies came out with a lot of offensive pressure and took a quick lead in the seventh minute of the first period. Sophomore Rachel Shipley found Kmezich alone in the box. The Larkspur, Colo., native beat the keeper 1v1 and finished off the goal inside the six-yard box.
Constant pressure by A&M continued and on a short corner in the 13th minute, Shipley tapped the ball to freshman Becca Herrera. From Aurora, Colo., Herrera crossed it to Kmezich in the six-yard box, but the fellow freshman's header went just wide of the far post.
Tatum and Shipley fired shots on frame from long range before the Aggies were on the attack again in the 26th minute. TCU tried to clear an A&M cross, but instead headed the ball into their goal for an own goal. The Aggies took the 2-0 lead into the locker room at the first break.
In a 25-minute second period, Herrera worked the ball near the end line and earned the Aggies fourth corner kick of the afternoon. West served the ball in to freshman Bri Young whose header went just high of the goal.
The offensive pressure continued as redshirt freshman Natalie Currie unmarked in the box. The keeper came out to cut down the angle and Currie fired a shot low to the ground that went just wide of the goalmouth.
Hamilton had the ball at her feet again on the right side and brought it back out to West at the corner of the box. The midfielder from Centennial, Colo., fired a shot on target that bounced off the keeper's outstretched hands and hit the cross bar before continuing out of play.
Just three minutes into the third period, Cydnie Currie sprinted down a drop kick from redshirt freshman Sarah Pierson. With the ball at Currie's feet, she placed it by the TCU keeper inside the far post to put the Aggies up 3-0.
Jackie Torda's header off of a free kick 10 minutes later put TCU on the scoreboard, 3-1.
A&M, however, remained in control and with only 31 seconds remaining, a shot from Shipley was deflected back to Tatum who blasted a shot top shelf into the back of the net for her first career goal.
The Aggies outshot the Horned Frogs 30-8 in three periods and also earned a 9-6 advantage in corner kicks.
A&M continues its spring season on Saturday, April 4 hosting LSU at 11 a.m. and BYU at 7 p.m.