Texas A&M
Oklahoma
Sixth-Ranked Soccer Falls to OU in Overtime
Nov 05, 2010 | Soccer
Nov. 5, 2010
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The sixth-ranked Texas A&M soccer team fell to Oklahoma, 1-0 in overtime, in the Big 12 Championship semifinal on Friday at Blossom Soccer Stadium in San Antonio.
The Aggies (15-4-2) were eliminated from the Big 12 Tournament by the Sooners (12-7-2), who will advance to the final round Sunday. Oklahoma's Whitney Palmer scored the only goal of the match in the second minute of overtime.
An aggressive Merritt Mathias came out full-force in the first period for the Aggies, leading the match on offense. The junior placed three-of-three shots on frame, giving A&M a 3-1 shots-on-goal advantage going into the half.
"Up front we looked dangerous," said head coach G Guerrieri. "Unfortunately we were toothless in our finish. We had so many good looks at their goal. I thought their keeper made a couple of great saves. Merritt is a ferocious attacker. She's relentless in trying to go forward and I thought she did a good job of getting some chances for us. "
In the 12th minute Mathias powered a shot from the center of the field at 27 yards that landed in the hands of Oklahoma goalkeeper Kelsey Devonshire. Three minutes later the Birmingham, Ala. native got another look at the goal when sophomore Nora Skelton sent a cross from the goal line in to Mathias who footed a shot from the center of the box and forced Devonshire to make another save.
Sophomore Mary Grace Schmidt headed a crucial block in the 22nd minute when Dria Hampton's free kick flew toward the goal. Hampton rebounded the ball and posted another shot before freshman Rachel Lenz got her foot behind it for a second team block.
Mathias posed a threat again in the 28th minute, attacking from the right and placing a kick on frame from six yards to force a third save of the night.
Senior Kristin Arnold got her glove on a high shot by Hampton from nine yards, and tipped it over the goal for her first save of the night in the 31st minute. Arnold had a first-period shutout and the match entered the half scoreless.
Starting off the second period it was Mathias again with a fourth shot on target in the 51st minute. She lined up on a free kick and split Oklahoma's four-defender wall, causing Devonshire to dive to the left and punch the ball wide of the goal.
The Sooners attacked in the 47th minute, drawing Arnold out of the box and sending Whitney Palmer in with the ball. A&M junior Rachael Balaguer was there, however, and jumped high to head the shot away from the goal.
Mathias again passed an ever-present OU defense to laser a shot at the goal before Devonshire again punched it wide for the save. She recorded a game-high six shots and five shots on goal on the night.
Senior Rachel Shipley followed soon after with a shot from 15 yards that flew into the goalkeeper's hands.
The Aggies had an aggressive attack in the last five minutes of the match, footing a plethora of shots that a determined Sooner defense deflected.
Tied at 0-0 in overtime, Oklahoma came out strong and attacked the goal. Hampton got her foot on a shot that hit the left post and bounced back to OU's Palmer.
Palmer dribbled and sent the ball to the other side of the box, netting it in the right corner to give the Sooners a 1-0 victory over the Aggies.
"I'm disappointed in the result," Guerrieri said. "I thought that our effort wasn't good enough tonight. Oklahoma battled hard. We knew we were going to see twice as many fouls called against them, but we've got to be able to fight through those things and finish the chances that we create."
No. 6 A&M will learn its postseason fate Monday, Nov. 8, when the NCAA Tournament schedule is announced at 3:30 p.m. on ESPNU. The Aggies have seen 15 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, finishing in the Sweet Sixteen last season. The team looks to host in the first round.
"Now we've got to turn our attention to the NCAA Tournament and see what the NCAA committee has in store for us," Guerrieri said. "Hopefully we'll get a chance to play at home."
