Texas A&M
18-2-2
Kentucky
15-6-0
Soccer Blanks Kentucky for SEC Tournament Crown
Nov 09, 2014 | Soccer
ORANGE BEACH, Alabama – The Texas A&M Aggies blanked the Kentucky Wildcats, 1-0, on Sunday afternoon to win their second consecutive SEC Tournament title at Orange Beach Sportsplex.
The Maroon and White became the first team since Florida in 2001 to repeat the championship double, winning the regular-season and tournament crowns in back-to-back seasons. A&M improved to 7-1 in SEC Tournament action.
Led by netminder Jordan Day and a backline of Karlie Mueller, Meghan Streight, McKayla Paulson, Leigh Edwards and Grace Wright the Maroon and White logged their third consecutive shutout of the tournament, outscoring opponents, 5-0, along the way.
Day made six saves in the afternoon, including three in three in both halves. It marked the 32nd shutout of her career and the third of the season for the senior who missed 12 matches and 18 starts due to an injury suffered in the season-opener.
Shuffling the lineup with various players grinding through ailments, A&M's defense proved stout throughout the week with Ashlynn Harryman also seeing time on the backline and midfield. Janae Cousineau, who sat out Sunday's match but was available to play, also proved big during the first two shutouts.
In the 30th, as has been the case most of the season, the Aggies were able to take advantage of a set piece to draw first blood. Haley Pounds sent a corner kick in from the right arc. The offering found the head of Shea Groom eight yards out and the senior midfielder blasted it goalward, ricocheting off a Kentucky defender out the way to the back netting.
The Maroon and White came inches shy of a second goal in the first half when Bianca Brinson was 10 yards out when she put her head on a Mikaela Harvey cross and it sailed just north of the crossbar in the 38th minute.
The Aggies held advantages in the attacking numbers in the first half, including 7-5 in shots, 5-3 in shots-on-goal and 2-0 in corner kicks.
In the second half, the Maroon and White were able to salt away the clock, while still maintaining a viable attack, earning three corner kick opportunities.
For the contest, Kentucky owned a 13-10 advantage in shots, but shots-on-goal were even at 3-3.
Brinson was named the Tournament Most Valuable Player. She notched the first goal in A&M's 3-0 win over Georgia in the quarterfinal and the lone goal in their 1-0 win against South Carolina in the semifinal. She was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Streight, Day and Groom.
The Aggies will await their NCAA Division I Championship assignment which will arrive on Monday via the 3:30 pm selection show on NCAA.com.
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach G Guerrieri
On his team capturing the 2014 SEC Soccer Tournament Championship …
“For me, personally, it's a great accomplishment to be able to work with kids like this. They have proven the kinds of champions that they are, but they're outstanding students, they're great people and they come from great families. To be able to win something like this on top of all of those is really super.”
On Texas A&M's Bianca Brinson being named SEC Soccer Tournament MVP …
“BB is getting hot at the right time of the season. As a forward, she is a kid we know we can count on in tough times. She was great every minute that she was on the field this weekend. I am really, really excited for her. She has come a long way in her career at Texas A&M and I'm really, really happy for what she is getting to do right now.”
On Shea Groom's game‐winning goal in the 30th minute …
“The goal starts on a corner kick that is served in. Shea Groom goes up and gets the initial touch and it rebounds off of one of the Kentucky defenders and then back into the goal. It was more of a pressure goal than something that was just absolutely clean. In the semifinals, BB went up and finished a clean one with her head, but this one was one where Shea got a touch on it, but it was more about us being able to put pressure on Kentucky and get the ball in.”
On Kentucky's team …
“If you look across the league, Kentucky has done a great job all season long. They try to play. The ball is on the ground. Today, soccer won because you had a team in Kentucky that wanted to build and wanted to make the game enjoyable to watch and enjoyable to play. We believe in the exact same thing. We're not the only two in this league. There are so many great programs and I'm hoping that as many SEC teams as possible can get into the NCAA Tournament.”
On preparations for the upcoming NCAA Tournament …
“We came in as the No. 3 team in the RPI. We're hoping now that winning the double [SEC regular-season and tournament titles] will give us a little bit more on our resume to maybe be one of those No. 1 seeds for the NCAA. We've never had that at Texas A&M and it would be a big achievement for us.”
2014 SEC Women's Soccer Tournament
All-Tournament Team
Chelsea Drennan, South Carolina
Stevi Parker, South Carolina
Allie Sirna, Tennessee
Hannah Wilkinson, Tennessee
Alex Carter, Kentucky
Arin Gilliland, Kentucky
Stuart Pope, Kentucky
Jordan Day, Texas A&M
Bianca Brinson, Texas A&M
Shea Groom, Texas A&M
Meghan Streight, Texas A&M
Tournament MVP
Bianca Brinson, Texas A&M
Team Stats
Groom, Shea (14)
Assisted By: Pounds, Haley
Punched in off corner kick
29:39
