Texas A&M
Oklahoma State
No. 14 A&M Shuts Out Oklahoma State
Oct 09, 2009 | Soccer
Oct. 9, 2009
STILLWATER, Okla. - Freshman Nora Skelton scored the lone goal that lifted the No. 14 Texas A&M soccer team to a 1-0 shutout against Oklahoma State at the Cowgirl Soccer Stadium.
From Austin, Texas, Skelton connected on the Aggies' first shot, while junior goalkeepers Kelly Dyer and Kristin Arnold combined for a season-high nine saves to earn team's fifth shutout and improve A&M to 8-4-1 overall and 3-1-1 in the Big 12. The Cowgirls fall to 7-7-0 and 1-5-0 in conference play.
"Road wins are hard to come by in the Big 12 and this is our second win on the road, and it's never easy," said head coach G Guerrieri. "Oklahoma State was outstanding tonight and really had us on our heels a few times. They came out well at the start of the second half, but I was proud of the way our team defended. I thought our backline was outstanding. It was also our most complete game as far as a goalkeeper core. Kristin was excellent in the first half and then Dyer was dead on."
The first scoring threat came from OSU in the eighth minute after A&M was called for a foul just outside the penalty box. Annika Niemeier's shot to the right of the wall was saved by Arnold as she dove to her left.
The Aggies' first shot of the game came four minutes later as sophomore Rachael Balaguer sent a long pass forward to Skelton who was coming towards the goal on a diagonal. The ball took one hop as Skelton split two defenders and controlled the pass with her body before striking a shot into the back of the net from 15 yards.
Arnold scooped up another save on the ground, through traffic after an OSU corner kick in the 21st minute.
The Aggies earned their first corner six minutes later. A serve from junior Rachel Shipley was knocked into the air across to Skelton. The Austin, Texas, native then headed a strong line-drive towards goal from 14 yards that was flicked on and off the cross bar by junior Whitney Hooper.
A&M controlled the ball in its attacking third for the first 35 minutes, but could not manage a shot in the final 10 minutes of the first half, leaving the shots even at six apiece at the break.
With Dyer in goal at the start of the second period, the Cowgirls pushed the ball into attack for two early shots, both of which were gathered in by the A&M keeper, including one from point-blank range that she caught above her head.
Dyer made another key save after a corner kick at the 56-minute mark, knocking a close-range header up and off the crossbar.
Senior Cydne Currie entered the game a minute later and provided a spark for the Aggie offense, firing off three shots within 10 minutes.
In the 69th minute, the Aggies pushed the ball into its offensive third to Currie who worked against two defenders on the left side. The Irving, Texas, native skipped a centering pass to Skelton who got a foot on it, but struck it just high of the goal.
A&M continued pressuring the Cowgirls and struck six shots in the final 10 minutes, each of which could have resulted in goals. The Aggies held OSU shotless in the last 15 minutes.
Oklahoma State tallied 19 shots to A&M's 18. Dyer collected a season-high seven saves, while Arnold totaled two.
Texas A&M returns to home to the Aggie Soccer Stadium on Sunday for a game that will air live on the Fox Soccer Channel at 4 p.m.
