Texas A&M
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Kansas
No. 15 Aggies Down No. 19 Kansas
Oct 02, 2009 | Soccer
Oct. 2, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Texas A&M junior Alyssa Mautz's goal in the 64th minute proved the game-winner as the 15th-ranked Aggies defeated the 19th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks, 4-3, in front of 2,606 fans on Friday night at the Aggie Soccer Stadium.
Mautz headed in her first goal of the season to put A&M (7-4-0, 2-1 Big 12) up 4-2 with 26 minutes remaining. A determined Kansas (8-3-1, 0-2 Big 12) side narrowed the margin to one goal in the 88th minute, but could not overcome four Aggie scores. Also finding the back of the net for A&M was sophomore Katie Hamilton ('16), junior Rachel Shipley (`27) and sophomore Bri Young ('52).
Junior goalkeepers Kristin Arnold and Kelly Dyer combined for seven saves, while the Aggies forced KU goalkeeper Julie Hanley to make six stops.
"We were able to take care of what we had to do to get a win," said head coach G Guerrieri. "It was a good win over another ranked team and it's something we can clearly build on. We were really clicking in attack and that opened a lot of things up. We scored two goals on set pieces, which is an important part of winning titles. Four goals against a Kansas team is a good result and I'm pleased with it."
The scoring started in the 16th minute, as junior Whitney Hooper dribbled to the end line and sent a low-driving cross to Hamilton in the six-yard box. The Spring, Texas, native one-timed a shot that a diving Hanley saved with one hand, but Hamilton was right there to pick up her rebound and bury it in the back of the net to get A&M out to an early 1-0 lead.
Hooper was giving the Kansas defense fits with a breakaway opportunity in the 16th minute before producing another dangerous chance five minutes later. From Houston, Texas, the forward beat a defender on the right side and sent a low-driving cross that Hamilton one-timed just over the crossbar.
Hooper persisted and got around a defender in the penalty box in 27th minute before being knocked down hard. A penalty kick was awarded to A&M and Shipley connected to put A&M up 2-0.
Kansas cut the lead in half after a corner kick in the 43rd minute. Dyer made a diving, one-handed save on Kortney Clifton's shot in the box, but Estelle Johnson scored on the rebound.
In the second 45, it took A&M no time to reach its attacking third as three minutes in Shipley worked against two defenders at the end line and still managed a line-drive cross into Mautz whose header went just high of the goal.
The Aggies' next header was a sure thing as Young netted her fourth goal of the season off of a corner kick from Shipley in the 52nd minute.
The Jayhawks answered one minute and 26 seconds later when a long ball was sent to Emily Cressy on the KU counter. Cressy slid a pass into Shelby Williamson who one-timed a shot into the left-side netting from eight yards out to bring Kansas within a single goal yet again.
The action had only begun as Mautz then used her head to drive in a goal on a free kick from Shipley in the 64th minute. The strike put A&M comfortably back in the lead, 4-2.
Kansas kept on, firing five of its nine second half shots in the remaining 20 minutes. Arnold made a key, sliding save by coming out in a 1v1 situation against Whitney Berry in the 78th minute.
Caitlin Noble scored the final goal on a thru pass from Berry with three minutes remaining.
The Aggies tallied 21 shots, including a game-high five from Mautz, while the Jayhawks managed 15 strikes. Both teams put 10 shots on frame.
Texas A&M returns to the pitch on Sunday for a nationally televised match against Missouri at 4 p.m.
