COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M Aggies added another impressive result to their spring ledger with a 3-0 shutout of the Rice Owls Saturday evening at Ellis Field.
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After Rice got the first two shots of the match, including one in the second minute with Cosette Morche having to make a save in goal for the Aggies, Texas A&M settled things down and took control of the possession. The Maroon and White took the next 10 shots of the match, including the ice breaker by Abby Grace Cooper with 5:15 left in the first half.
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Cooper's tally was set up when Ally Watt chased the ball down at the endline on the right side of the penalty box. She sent a cross to Cooper, camped out inside the six-yard box, and the freshman sent it to the back of the net for the 1-0 lead.
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At the intermission, Texas A&M owned the advantages in shots (10-2), shots-on-goal (3-1) and corner kicks (5-0).
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In the second half, the Owls once again took the first two shots before the Aggies seized control.
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With 33:03 left in the match, Watt scored an unassisted goal. The mercurial forward possessed the ball outside the penalty box on the left side of the arc. With the ball at her feet, Watt blazed past the marking defender on a bowed route to the left post and beat the keeper with a driving to the right side netting for the 2-0 advantage.
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Addie McCain put the finishing touches on the match with just over 17 minutes remaining. She received a pass from Emily Bates on the right side of the arc and sent in a low-flying missile to the far post from 18 yards.
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Rice scrambled to mount a late rally, taking three shots in the last 10 minutes, including two on-goal, but Morche made valiant saves to keep the sheet clean.
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The Aggies finished the match with the edge in shots (18-8), shots-on-goal (7-4) and corner kicks (10-1). Morche made four saves in goal for the shutout.
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For the spring, the Aggies are 2-0, outscoring foes 9-0. Watt, who redshirted in 2016 while playing for the United States U-20 Women's National Team, leads the squad in scoring with seven points on two goals and three assists. Bates has six points on two goals and two assists.
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After a spring break trip to Costa Rica that will include two matches against local sides, the Maroon and White continue their Ellis Field slate with a match against TCU at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 25.
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TEXAS A&M QUOTES
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Head Coach G Guerrieri
On the match…
"I think we continue to improve, which is what spring practice is all about. We were pretty dangerous in the attack, especially when Ally Watt is anywhere around the ball. She scored a great individual using speed and skill. Two of our freshmen, Abby Grace (Cooper) and Addie (McCain) both got their first goals at Ellis Field which was terrific.
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On the defense…
"Cosette (Morche) had a super game tonight. She made some great saves tonight and kept our backline confident as they threw some good attacks at us."
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On what the team will work on the next few weeks…
"We'll take a look at the video from tonight and clean a few things up. Then we'll start preparing for our international trip over spring break which will include two matches in Costa Rica."
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After Rice got the first two shots of the match, including one in the second minute with Cosette Morche having to make a save in goal for the Aggies, Texas A&M settled things down and took control of the possession. The Maroon and White took the next 10 shots of the match, including the ice breaker by Abby Grace Cooper with 5:15 left in the first half.
Â
Cooper's tally was set up when Ally Watt chased the ball down at the endline on the right side of the penalty box. She sent a cross to Cooper, camped out inside the six-yard box, and the freshman sent it to the back of the net for the 1-0 lead.
Â
At the intermission, Texas A&M owned the advantages in shots (10-2), shots-on-goal (3-1) and corner kicks (5-0).
Â
In the second half, the Owls once again took the first two shots before the Aggies seized control.
Â
With 33:03 left in the match, Watt scored an unassisted goal. The mercurial forward possessed the ball outside the penalty box on the left side of the arc. With the ball at her feet, Watt blazed past the marking defender on a bowed route to the left post and beat the keeper with a driving to the right side netting for the 2-0 advantage.
Â
Addie McCain put the finishing touches on the match with just over 17 minutes remaining. She received a pass from Emily Bates on the right side of the arc and sent in a low-flying missile to the far post from 18 yards.
Â
Rice scrambled to mount a late rally, taking three shots in the last 10 minutes, including two on-goal, but Morche made valiant saves to keep the sheet clean.
Â
The Aggies finished the match with the edge in shots (18-8), shots-on-goal (7-4) and corner kicks (10-1). Morche made four saves in goal for the shutout.
Â
For the spring, the Aggies are 2-0, outscoring foes 9-0. Watt, who redshirted in 2016 while playing for the United States U-20 Women's National Team, leads the squad in scoring with seven points on two goals and three assists. Bates has six points on two goals and two assists.
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After a spring break trip to Costa Rica that will include two matches against local sides, the Maroon and White continue their Ellis Field slate with a match against TCU at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 25.
Â
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
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Head Coach G Guerrieri
On the match…
"I think we continue to improve, which is what spring practice is all about. We were pretty dangerous in the attack, especially when Ally Watt is anywhere around the ball. She scored a great individual using speed and skill. Two of our freshmen, Abby Grace (Cooper) and Addie (McCain) both got their first goals at Ellis Field which was terrific.
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On the defense…
"Cosette (Morche) had a super game tonight. She made some great saves tonight and kept our backline confident as they threw some good attacks at us."
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On what the team will work on the next few weeks…
"We'll take a look at the video from tonight and clean a few things up. Then we'll start preparing for our international trip over spring break which will include two matches in Costa Rica."