Texas A&M
8-1-0, 2-0-0
Vanderbilt
4-4-1, 1-1-0
Pounds Goal Sinks Commodores in SEC Home Opener
Sep 18, 2015 | Soccer
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M Aggies got a goal from Haley Pounds in the 70th minute and Taylor Saucier registered her second shutout of the season as the Maroon and White edged the Vanderbilt Commodores, 1-0, in the SEC home opener Friday evening at Ellis Field.
After the Aggies made a switch to a 4-4-2 formation midway through the second half, the Maroon and White were able to retain a greater deal of possession in the midfield and it paid dividends when A&M finally broke the scoring seal with 20:01 remaining in the second half.
Midfielder Stephanie Malherbe controlled the ball just off the right touchline in the attacking third and dumped a pass to Pounds stationed about 25 yards out from goal to the right of the penalty box. With Ally Watt headed on a charge down the middle of the field, Pounds sent a howitzer towards the goal. Vanderbilt goalkeeper Christina Ogunsami was frozen by the Watt run and Pounds' shot went into the left side netting for the ice breaker.
The Aggies had chances to add to the lead down the stretch, but Ogunsami, who ended the match with five saves, made stops on solid efforts by Malherbe in the 81st minute and Brittany Crabtree in the 84th minute.
For the match, shots-on-goal were even at 6-6, but the Commodores owned edges in corner kicks (8-2) and shots (12-9). After halftime adjustments by the Aggies, A&M owned a second half advantage in shots (5-3) and shots-on-goal (4-1) and corner kicks were even at 2-2.
With the win, Texas A&M improved to 8-1-0 overall and 2-0-0 in the SEC. It marked the 10th consecutive home win for the Aggies and the Maroon and White improved to 12-0-1 in their last 13 matches at Ellis Field.
Vanderbilt dropped to 4-4-1 on the season, including 1-1-0 in SEC play.
The Aggies have yet to yield a goal in an SEC home opener, outscoring opponents 14-0 in the four matches.
Saucier made six saves in the win, including five in the second half. The shutout was the fourth on the year for the A&M defense.
Texas A&M returns to action Sunday night when they Aggies host the North Texas Mean Green in a 6 pm contest at Ellis Field.
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach G Guerrieri
Thoughts on the game…
"We stayed in the game and found a way to win. One of the characteristics of championship teams is finding a way to win. That was a gritty ugly performance with the right result."
On the second half adjustments…
"I thought the adjustments we made at halftime helped us out. We had a few more chances in the second half and we kept Vanderbilt to one scoring attempt flurry. As much as anything some of the sophomores and older players did a great job to turn the tide there for us. It was a really good job by Haley (Pounds) to take a chance there and really good job by Ally (Watt) to be in a position to freeze the goalkeeper so the ball went right in the net.
On changes made in formation…
"We needed to do a better job in the midfield. It was getting too chaotic. I think when we brought Margaret (Schmidt) in it helped us change the numbers a little bit and that was good for her."
On moving forward…
"I think one of the things we look at is did we find ways to win. At Florida we played much better than this and that got us rolling a little bit. We played really well in Dayton and that was a solid win. Back home at Ellis Field allowed us to relax a little bit, being in front of the 12th Man. North Texas is going to come in with a lot of energy, a lot of really good athletes and an excellent record. They are going to be a big challenge for us."
Sophomore Haley Pounds
On the 1-0 win against Vanderbilt…
"I think Vanderbilt probably played the best game they've played all season. We came out with not as much energy as we wanted to, especially in the first half. It shows a lot of our team to be able to come into the second half and get a goal. We can battle and get the win."
On her performance this season…
"Last season as a freshman, I didn't have enough confidence. I really worked on my shot and getting my position, and it's paid off so far this season."
Team Stats
Pounds, Haley (7)
Assisted By: Malherbe, Stephanie
From 25 yards out to right of penalty bo
69:59
