Texas A&M
Iowa State
No. 14 A&M Earns 1-0 Win Over Iowa State
Oct 16, 2009 | Soccer
Oct. 16, 2009
AMES, Iowa - Texas A&M junior Rachel Shipley connected on a penalty kick in the 55th minute while the Aggie defense held Iowa State to just one shot on goal to give the No. 14 A&M soccer team a 1-0 victory on Friday night at the ISU Soccer Complex.
Sophomore Katie Hamilton was fouled hard from behind in the box to force the penalty kick and Shipley scored her fourth goal of the season and second game-winner to lift the Aggies' (10-4-1, 4-1-1 Big 12) unbeaten streak to five straight. The Cyclones (6-6-4, 1-5-0 Big 12) have never defeated or even scored on A&M on their home pitch.
"Tonight is another shutout victory for us on the road," said head coach G Guerrieri. "It was a terrific defensive performance and a great attacking performance; we just didn't finish our last chances. Defensively, the whole team did very well and the back four were phenomenal. 1-0 might not be indicative of the game, but on the road, getting a win is huge. Now we'll start preparing for what's going to be very tough game in Lincoln on Sunday."
The Aggies dominated possession nearly the entire match and were on the attack often. A&M outshot Iowa State 28-8, with 14 strikes on frame, and earned nine corner kicks to just three from the Cyclones. Texas A&M forced Iowa State goalkeeper, Ann Gleason, to make 12 saves, while A&M junior keeper Kelly Dyer earned her first solo shutout of the season and the team tallied its sixth.
The Aggies set the tone early when Hamilton picked off a pass in A&M's attacking third and dished it off to junior Alyssa Mautz who blasted the Aggies' first shot into the arms of Gleason just 15 seconds into the match.
A&M's offensive pressure continued and nine minutes later, Hamilton dribbled the ball from midfield to the top of the penalty box and fired off a one-hopper that Gleason dove and saved.
Shipley added a pair of chances after a free kick in the 10th minute, while Hamilton and junior Whitney Hooper followed suite five minutes later off of a free kick by sophomore Rachael Balaguer.
In the 20th minute, Gleason came out of goal to contest an attacking freshman, Nora Skelton. A collision between the two players popped the ball out to Hamilton and the Spring, Texas, native knocked a shot into an open goal from 16 yards, but an ISU defender sprinted back and miraculously cleared the ball off the line.
The two teams went into the 15-minute break scoreless, but it was A&M that enjoyed a 17-4 advantage in shots, including 10 on frame.
Twenty minutes into the second period the Aggies were back in their attacking third. Hamilton controlled the ball near the end line, and then dribbled up and into the box to find Hooper 13 yards out. Hooper one-timed a low shot at the near post, but Gleason extended a hand while diving to her right to knock the strike out of bounds.
The Aggies held ISU without a shot on goal until the 78th minute of the game - a strike that junior goalkeeper Kelly Dyer easily gathered.
In the 82nd minute, Hooper was inches away from putting A&M up 2-0. She cut through several ISU defenders in the box and was 1v1 with Gleason, but her shot missed just wide of the far post.
Hamilton, Hooper and Shipley led the Aggie offense with six shots each, while Mautz added three strikes.
The Aggies play their final road game of the 2009 regular season on Sunday at Nebraska. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
