Texas A&M
Fordham
Aggies Slam Fordham, 13-1
Sep 18, 2011 | Soccer
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Freshmen Annie Kunz and Kelley Monogue each contributed a hat trick as the No. 21 Texas A&M soccer team (6-4, 1-0 Big 12) pushed to a 13-1 blowout against Fordham (4-4-1) on Sunday at Ellis Field.
The Aggies showed depth in every position, playing almost every member of the 25-person roster in the duration of the match. The team's 13 goals were scored by eight different players, while 12 members of the squad contributed assists. A tight Aggie defense allowed Fordham to take only eight shots, with just three landing on frame.
"Winning on Sundays is important and being able to get a lot of players in, and what we refer to as a 'squad victory' is important for us," head coach G Guerrieri said. "We've won three in-a-row and now we just have a week to get ready for another tough Big 12 opponent in Iowa State."
Freshman Jordan Day played all 90 minutes in goal for the Aggies, allowing only one goal while making two saves. The Aggies forced nine saves by the Rams.
The scoring attack started in the 15th minute when junior Lyndsey Gnatzig chipped a pass from the midfield in to Monogue. The forward eluded a Fordham defender and went one-on-one against Rams goalkeeper Rachel Suther, taking a shot in the six-yard box for her first goal of the match.
A&M shot out to a 3-0 within the next four minutes. In the 18th minute Monogue created another scoring opportunity, sending freshman Allie Bailey down the right flank with a pass from midfield. Bailey dribbled into the 18-yard box and crossed to junior Chelsea Jones waiting at the left post. Jones finished the play with a header into the back of the net.
Monogue put A&M up three goals less than a minute later with her second goal, a quick shot from 18 yards. Jones and freshman Meghan Streight completed two quick passes, and with the ball at her feet, Monogue turned and kicked a shot on target for a 3-0 lead.
The Aggies continued to control the game and in the 29th minute freshman Shea Groom netted her first of two goals. Kunz headed a goal kick by Fordham back to the box from the edge of the circle, finding Groom with her pass. Groom took a close-range shot and put A&M ahead 4-0 with 16 minutes left in the half.
"There was a clear athletic advantage for us, but this wasn't a game where we were just knocking a ball in and running behind it." Guerrieri said. "I thought there were some really well-created goals for our midfield. I thought that all of the players in the middle of the field did a great job of taking the ball from one side of the field to the other and exposing some goals."
Just seconds before the end of the first period, senior Megan Majewski slotted a pass to junior Catalina Clavijo along the right sideline. Clavijo maneuvered through the Ram defense and crossed to redshirt junior Katie Hamilton just wide of the goal. Hamilton shot from the left post with seven seconds remaining in the first half and nailed the back of the net.
The Aggies emerged from the locker room with a 5-0 advantage on the Rams and no signs of letting up. Within seven minutes the home team had extended their lead to 6-0 after a breakaway goal by junior Nora Skelton. Jones and junior Beth West's passes on the diagonal earned an assist for each.
Exactly six minutes later Kunz began the run for her second career hat trick, stealing the ball from a Fordham player off of a throw-in and shooting from 15 yards along the end line for her first goal of the match and a 7-0 A&M lead.
Kunz followed with a second goal in the 64th minute. Freshman Katie Perry passed to Skelton from midfield. The junior attacked from the left flank and sent a ball to Kunz in the penalty area. Kunz one-touched a shot that was saved by Rams goalkeeper Ally White. The Aggie forward gathered the rebound, however, and netted the second shot from point-blank range.
In the 67th minute it was Kunz again, delving her second-and-final assist off of a pass from Majewski. Kunz flew down the left side and set up the shot with a cross to Groom. Groom turned and scored her second goal of the day, from the upper corner of the six-yard box.
A&M led 9-0 when a foul by Fordham in the box produced another scoring opportunity in the 72nd minute. Majewski took the penalty kick for the Aggies and easily netted their 10th goal of the match.
Freshman Bianca Brinson added a quick goal five minutes later from the goal box after a pass from freshman Leigh Edwards came in from the right.
Brinson set up Kunz's final goal in the 80th minute, heading a pass in to the six-foot forward in the box. Kunz capitalized for her second-ever hat trick, along with two assists on the day.
Monogue ended the match where she started, netting an unassisted goal when she picked up a loose ball near the penalty area that came from a tangle between Brinson and White. Monogue steered the ball closer and landed a shot perfectly on frame for her first career hat trick.
The Aggies allowed only one goal by the Rams. Forward Kristina Maksuti drove the ball up the middle on a defensive breakdown and scored, unassisted, in the 79th minute. Fordham was unable to gain footing through the rest of the match and fell to A&M in a 13-1 offensive blowout.
Next weekend A&M hosts Iowa State in the Aggies' second Big 12 match of the season. The game is set for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff Friday at Ellis Field. Sunday will feature a 1:30 p.m. match between the Aggies and Loyola-Chicago. To learn more about Texas A&M soccer, log on to AggieAthletics.com.
