Texas A&M
Purdue
Young's Golden Goal Lifts Aggies to Victory
Sep 12, 2010 | Soccer
Sept. 12, 2010
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Texas A&M junior Bri Young headed in the golden goal nearly three minutes into overtime to give the No. 7 Aggie soccer team a 2-1 win over Purdue on Sunday afternoon at the Boilermakers' Varsity Soccer Complex.
Young's second goal of the season came on a corner kick from senior Rachel Shipley in the 93rd minute. The Castle Pines North, Colo., native was at the corner of the six-yard box and skied above the competition to nod home the game-winner into the far-side netting.
The victory was A&M's (6-1) sixth consecutive, while the Boilermakers fell to 3-4-1.
"Purdue came out and did a great job in the first half, really establishing their type of game early one," said A&M head coach G Guerrieri. "Once we saw what we were up against, we stepped up and played. We got better and better as the game went on and in the second half we did a much better job defensively. We took away their countering options, moved the ball, and we were able to play soccer."
At the start of the game, Purdue sustained early possession in their attacking third and an own goal in the eighth minute put Purdue on the scoreboard.
A minute later, however, A&M answered as Shipley sent a long pass down the middle of the field to a streaking Whitney Hooper. The senior from Houston, Texas, ran down the serve and buried the ball in the upper 90 from eight yards out to even the score, 1-1.
The Aggies were limited to five shots in the first half and took the 1-1 draw into the 15-minute break.
A&M controlled much more possession in the second period and was on the attack in the 57th minute. After an initial serve into the box was knocked out, sophomore Raven Tatum ripped a shot towards the upper 90 from 28 yards and forced a diving save by the Purdue goalkeeper Carianne Betts.
In another good opportunity in the 75th minute, sophomore Beth West gained controlled of a 50/50 ball in A&M's offensive third and found senior Amber Gnatzig on the right side of the box. Gnatzig fired a shot towards the far post that forced Betts to make a diving save to her left.
Three minutes later, Mautz had the ball at the top left of the box and blasted a shot that Betts managed to get a high hand on to deflect over the cross bar. Mautz nodded a header just wide of the post on the subsequent corner.
A low-driven shot by junior Merritt Mathias in the 84th minute was again stopped by Betts for her seventh save of the afternoon and helped force the Aggies' first overtime of the season.
A&M was on the attack from the get-go in extra minutes and a shot by senior Alyssa Mautz at the 93-minute mark was deflected wide of the goal to set up the corner kick and the game-winning goal.
Despite a slow start, A&M outshot Purdue, 21-13, with nine shots on goal to just three from the Boilermakers. The Aggies also held a 5-4 edge in corner kicks. Mautz took a game-best six shots and Mathias fired off four.
The Aggies remain on the road Friday, Sept. 17 with a match at No. 3 Portland before returning to the Aggie Soccer Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 19 for a game against Cal State Northridge.
