Texas A&M
17-4-1
TCU
13-5-3
Aggies Headed to 15th Sweet Sixteen
Nov 16, 2018 | Soccer
With the win, the Maroon & White extended their unbeaten string against Lone Star State opponents to 34 matches. The Aggies are 29-0-5 against in-state opponents with the last loss coming at the end of the 2007 campaign.
Ally Watt and Addie McCain accounted for the Aggies' goals in the second half with Watt scoring her 15th of the season to break the ice in the 52nd minute. McCain's goal came on a corner kick as Texas A&M notched their 22nd set piece goal of the season.
Cosette Morché made two saves in goal to record her 12th shutout of the year, two off the Aggies' single-season record set by Jordan Day in 2012. The Maroon & White backline of Jordan Hill, Kendall Ritchie, Karlina Sample and Callyn Walton held TCU to eight shots and two shots-on-goal in the match.
Texas A&M had two scoring opportunities thwarted in the first five minutes. A Watt shot from 12 yards out in the second minute and an Emily Bates offering from eight yards out in the fourth minute were stopped with outstanding efforts by Horned Frogs' goalkeeper Emily Alvarado.
After the early fireworks, the Aggies' assault tapered off and the teams went into halftime tied at 0-0. The Maroon & White held the edges in shots (6-3), shots-on-goal (3-0) and corner kicks (1-0).
The Aggies overwhelmed the Horned Frogs in the second half, owning wide margins in shots (12-5), shots-on-goal (7-2) and corner kicks (6-3) after the intermission.
UP NEXT
The Aggies will face either Arizona or Tennessee on Sunday for a spot in the Elite Eight. First kick in Knoxville is slated for 4:05 p.m. Central.
SCORING SUMMARY
52' – Watt stole the ball from a defender near the left corner of the penalty box. She worked the ball to the left of the penalty arc and ripped a shot into the right upper 90 for the ice breaker. A&M 1, UT 0.
76' – TCU attempted to clear a corner kick, but the ball rolled out to McCain who was settled in 25 yards out. She used her second step to rip a missile from 20 yards out for the insurance goal. A&M 2, UT 0.
QUOTES
Head Coach G Guerrieri
Opening statement
"This will be our 15th trip to the Sweet Sixteen, which I think all of our former players helped set up. It wouldn't have happened today without some incredible performances from a lot of players all around the pitch."
On the defense...
"I was very proud of the way we defended. Karlina Sample was great once again in the middle of the backline. And Callyn (Walton), Jordan (Hill) and Kendall (Ritchie) did great in 1-v-1 situations. Cosette (Morché) was outstanding in her leadership back there. You could hear her throughout the stadium, marshaling the backline. And when we needed saves she made them.
On TCU…
"TCU is a team we have tremendous respect for. Their coaching staff is friends of ours. They've had a tremendous season. They are a very tough team to play against. Their goalkeeper made several great saves to keep them in early."
Junior forward Ally Watt
On scoring the winning goal…
"Their keeper was making amazing saves. I haven't shot from distance in a while, so I thought I'd give it a shot. She was stopping all my shots inside the box and I watched the England match yesterday (vs. USA) and I saw a goal from outside the box and thought 'Why not?'"
On what the halftime message was...
"We just we weren't performing our best, and knew we were capable of so much more. I think it was us reflecting and knowing that we just needed to get the ball down and play our soccer. We did that in the second half and got the win."
The Starting XI
— Texas A&M Soccer (@AggieSoccer) November 16, 2018
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It's on!
— Texas A&M Soccer (@AggieSoccer) November 16, 2018
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?? https://t.co/rJmhD7yq3v #NCAASoccer #BTHOTCU #GigEm pic.twitter.com/crsVyxfbCK
Watt does it again!@allymwatt puts in a missile from 20 yards to give the Aggies a 1-0 lead in the 52nd minute. Her 15th of the season.#GigEm pic.twitter.com/3hcYlX75qQ
— Texas A&M Soccer (@AggieSoccer) November 16, 2018
We got the insurance goal!@addie_mccain rips a 22-yard with the right foot on corner kick secondary action for the 2-0 lead.
— Texas A&M Soccer (@AggieSoccer) November 16, 2018
14:34 remaining in the second half.#GigEm pic.twitter.com/vOUeNpAMLR
OH MY ADDIE ??#NCAASoccer #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/ClMDfBQ13r
— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) November 16, 2018
How sweet it is!
— Texas A&M Soccer (@AggieSoccer) November 16, 2018
The Aggies are headed to their 15th Sweet Sixteen.#NCAASoccer #GigEm pic.twitter.com/sfmbY1O6W3
The Aggies advance with Friday's 2-0 win over TCU!
— Texas A&M Soccer (@AggieSoccer) November 16, 2018
Catch the goals by @allymwatt & @Addie_McCain ??#GigEm pic.twitter.com/ZV3w70NNY8
"You can't win games without scoring & defending. We put both together today, & it was an awesome win."
— Texas A&M Soccer (@AggieSoccer) November 16, 2018
?? @Addie_McCain#GigEm pic.twitter.com/L3POWHuNgQ
Team Stats
Watt, Ally (15)
stole from defender and shot from 20 yar
51:06
McCain, Addie (6)
shot from top of box
75:23
