April 5, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The Texas A&M soccer team battled LSU to a scoreless draw at the Aggie Soccer Stadium on Saturday morning before downing BYU, 2-0, in the evening.
Sophomore Alyssa Mautz netted both goals against the Cougars in the 19th and 32nd minutes. Mautz's first goal was assisted by junior Amber Gnatzig.
"I was pleased with the day's results," said head coach G Guerrieri. "Being unbeaten with two shutouts against two NCAA Tournament teams is a nice accomplishment. I especially thought the first half of our second game versus BYU was impressive. We still need to keep improving and polishing up different parts of our game."
Against the Tigers, the Aggies controlled almost all the action despite a strong southerly wind and a determined LSU defense.
A&M outshot LSU 14-3 in a 75-minute long match and had several good scoring chances including a Beth West rocket from 20 yards out in the last 10 minutes of the match that struck the far post and bounced away from the goal.
LSU goalkeeper Mo Isom made eight saves in the abbreviated match, including a big diving save to her left on a blast by A&M sophomore midfielder Rachel Shipley with about 20 minutes remaining in the second half. Shipley beat two Tiger players to a ball, cut in on the dribble and hit a laser that seemed bound for the upper corner of the goal, but was snagged by the six-foot tall Tiger goalkeeper.
Texas A&M used all three of their keepers in the shutout. Sophomore Kelly Dyer was called upon to make a save on a 25-yard Tiger shot in the first period, while junior Kristin Arnold made a diving save to her left after an LSU corner kick late in the match.
A&M outshot BYU 22-7 in the 7 p.m. game and also forced the Cougars to make 11 saves.
"I thought we looked good in possession and in defense this morning," said Guerrieri. "LSU did a good job in the last 20 yards of the field to keep us off the scoreboard. It's always nice to be able to get all of our players into the spring non-traditional matches, especially when we play other NCAA Tournament teams like BYU and LSU. I think the shutouts and possession play are something that we can build and improve upon."
A&M continues its spring season against Big 12 Tournament Champion Oklahoma State on Friday, April 10 at 7:30 p.m. at the Aggie Soccer Stadium.