Aggies Blank Dartmouth on Fish Camp Night

Friday, September 2

College Station

6:30 PM

Texas A&M

2-3-0

Dartmouth

0-1-0

Dartmouth

Texas A&M

Sep 02, 2011 | Soccer

Box Score

By: Texas A&M Athletics

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Surrounded by her classmates in her first collegiate match, Texas A&M soccer goalkeeper Renée McDermott gave the Aggies their first shutout of the season, defeating Dartmouth, 3-0, Friday on Fish Camp Night at Ellis Field. The match drew a home crowd of 4,887 fans, over 3,300 of them students.

The Aggies saw goals from freshman Shea Groom and senior Merritt Mathias, to improve their record to 2-3 on the season and hand Dartmouth a loss in their first match of 2011. A&M dominated the game, outshooting the Big Green 22-to-6, and used the entire width of the field to create space and stretch the defense.

"I was really pleased with the way that we were seeing the goal and putting chances up and I really thought that Dartmouth's goalkeeper had an outstanding night," head coach G Guerrieri said. "I'm really happy for Renée. I thought she had a great game tonight. I thought she brought a lot to our scene. I think that with that, you can see the confidence of our defense build."

The Aggies pressured from kickoff with a shot from Mathias and a corner kick, all in the first three-and-a-half minutes.

In the 13^th minute Mathias kept the intensity, and after dribbling down the right flank, took a throw-in from senior Rachael Balaguer and sent it to junior Nora Skelton. Skelton one-touched the ball from eight yards toward the left post, forcing Dartmouth keeper Tatiana Saunders to make a diving save.

The Aggies' offensive pressure paid off for the first time 16 minutes later, starting from the back line as junior Lyndsey Gnatzig slotted a pass to junior Chelsea Jones. Jones found Mathias at the top of the box, who dribbled to the end line and sent a knee-high cross to Groom. The freshman was waiting inside the six-yard box and redirected the pass inside the left post to give the Aggies the first lead of the game.

A&M had a couple more strong opportunities in the last five minutes of the half. After a free kick opportunity by Balaguer, the ball rattled around in the six-yard box before Dartmouth was able to clear it. Three minutes later, with the Aggies still in their offensive third Groom lasered a shot off of the crossbar from outside the box.

The Aggies went into the locker room with a 1-0 lead and returned to the second half with determination, sustaining offensive pressure from the whistle. A&M again found the woodwork with a hard-driven shot from the top of the box by freshman Kelley Monogue in the 51^st minute.

Within the next four minutes the Aggies wouldn't miss, netting two goals to take a commanding 3-0 lead. In the 53^rd minute, freshman Katie Perry had the ball at the top of the box and found Balaguer out wide to the right. The senior crossed to Groom in the box, and similarly one-touched a shot inside the left post for her second goal of the match.

"Shea is a game-breaker of a player and that's a pretty good indication of what she can do," Guerrieri said. "She's got a huge upside that I think we're going to have a fun career with."

Perry gave the Big Green no time to retaliate, again setting up a score for the Aggies. The midfielder found Mathias in the penalty area. Mathias dribbled toward the touch line and bulleted a shot from a tough angle off the bottom of the crossbar into the back of the net.

A&M kept the momentum after Mathias' goal when freshman Meghan Streight ping-ponged two headers off of a corner kick to force saves by the Dartmouth defense in the 59^th minute. The Aggies held their 3-0 lead, and never allowed the Big Green to close in on the goal.

McDermott (1-0) earned the Aggies' first shutout of the season with the win. A swarming A&M defense allowed only four shots on frame by Dartmouth as McDermott made four easy saves. The Aggies forced Saunders (0-1) to make eight saves on the night and handed her the Big Green's first loss of the season.

The Aggies wrap up the Labor Day Weekend at home on Monday with a 1:30 p.m. match against McNeese State at Ellis Field. The first 100 students through the gate will receive a FREE jersey, while signed memorabilia will be awarded during the game. As is usual with every weekend-ending match this season, one adult ticket will admit up to four children FREE on Monday.

Live audio and video of Monday's match will be featured on AggieAthletics.com. A radio broadcast can also be heard worldwide on 95.1-3 The Zone HD from any smartphone or HD radio. Visit radioaggieland.com for more details, or to download the app. To learn more about Aggie soccer, log on to AggieAthletics.com.