Texas A&M
9-0-0,1-0-0
LSU
6-2-0,0-1-0
Aggies Match Best Start in School History with 3-0 Win vs. LSU
Sep 14, 2018 | Soccer
The nine consecutive wins to start the season matches the school record set in 1996 and equaled in 1997.
The Maroon & White scored all three goals on set pieces, increasing their season's total of rehearsed tallies to 13. The scores included a penalty kick goal by Addie McCain (19'), a Grace Piper header (22') off a Briana Alston free kick and a Rheagen Smith header (81') off a Kendall Ritchie corner kick.
The Aggies recorded their 10th consecutive victory in SEC league play and the 13th straight triumph against SEC opposition.
Texas A&M stretched its school-record unbeaten string to 24 games, two shy of the SEC record of 26 set by Florida in 1998-99. The Aggies' last loss came at Auburn (0-1) on September 15, 2017.
The Maroon & White scored multiple goals for the 10th consecutive match. The run stands one shy of the school record of 11 set from October 15, 1994 to September 8, 1995.
The shutout continued the best defensive start in Texas A&M annals. The seven shutouts are the most through nine matches and the two goals are the fewest allowed by an Aggie squad in that span.
Cosette Morché made five saves to notch her 21st Division I shutout, her 15th in two seasons in Aggieland and her SEC-leading seventh of 2018.
For the match, Texas A&M owned advantages in shots (18-12), shots-on-goal (6-5) and corner kicks (4-1).
GOAL SUMMARY
18' – After Ásdís Halldórsdóttir was taken down in the box, McCain converted on the PK. A&M 1, LSU 0.
22' – Alston delivered a free kick from 50 yards out along the right side. Piper got her head on the service from six yards out to beat the keeper. A&M 2, LSU 0.
81' – Ritchie sent a corner kick in from the right side and Smith got her head on it at the near post for her third goal of the season. A&M 3, LSU 0.
UP NEXT
The Aggies close out non-conference action and their eight-game homestand Sunday with a 1 p.m. contest against the No. 18 Kansas Jayhawks at Ellis Field.
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach G Guerrieri
On starting off SEC play with a win...
"It's a great way to start off, that is a team that has shutout six opponents in a row, so for us to be able to get three past them is terrific. I thought our possessions, especially in the first half, was fantastic. Addie McCain in the first half was playing on another level. Defensively these guys pushed us. This is as an athletic of an opponent as we have seen all year. I was really pleased with the way our backline held up. I thought Jordan Hill was the player of a game that was on a night where a lot of players played well. It was good for her - especially in the first half, she was just nails. In the second half, I thought our girls did a good job of managing the game and making sure that we won on our terms."
On keeping possession of the ball most of the game...
"The movement off the ball by our midfielders was terrific. Our forwards did a good job of facing up to goal anytime a ball went into them. They did a good job of bring other people into the game by just holding and getting it back into our midfield and we could recycle. It came from a lot of different places, and a lot of different players playing well."
Junior midfielder Grace Piper
On winning the first SEC game of the season...
"Last season we lost our first SEC game and that kept us from winning the overall SEC title. It was great to come out with a bang and show the SEC what we're all about and that we're here to win it this year."
On LSU's athleticism...
"They were very athletic. They brought a good game to us. They had a plan coming in and they executed it very well. It was hard for us to break them down but we did three times and got three great goals."
On playing Kansas on Sunday...
"Sunday is going to bring a completely different challenge. Kansas is ranked pretty high and it's going to take a lot to beat them. We're going to come out and play our game. We're not going to change anything just because we're playing a different opponent. We score good goals by just being ourselves."
Tonight's Starting XI with the strong start tonight ????#GigEm pic.twitter.com/d4dzhAVipS
— Texas A&M Soccer (@AggieSoccer) September 15, 2018
A PK for @addie_mccain
— Texas A&M Soccer (@AggieSoccer) September 15, 2018
Unofficial tally has her three away from her dad getting her a puppy.
A&M 1-0, 19'#GigEm pic.twitter.com/FbrRIbxmF0
The Aggies lead it 2-0 following this great goal by @gpipesrush9!
— Texas A&M Soccer (@AggieSoccer) September 15, 2018
?? - https://t.co/NIY0x56lFu #GigEm pic.twitter.com/sXIklRNbYb
Another set piece goal for the Aggies!@gpipesrush9 gets her head on a free kick by @briana_alston30!
— Texas A&M Soccer (@AggieSoccer) September 15, 2018
Aggies up 2-0, 22'#GigEm pic.twitter.com/RJavmITLuK
.@ken_ritchie19 keeps serving up corner kicks and the Aggies keep putting them into the back of the net.
— Texas A&M Soccer (@AggieSoccer) September 15, 2018
This time it's @RheagenSmith.
A&M leads 3-0, 82'#GigEm pic.twitter.com/v0qD8SoM99
.@rheagensmith increases the A&M lead, as @ken_ritchie19 picks up another assist! The Aggies have a 3-0 advantage.
— Texas A&M Soccer (@AggieSoccer) September 15, 2018
?? - https://t.co/NIY0x56lFu #GigEm pic.twitter.com/Fjkw5ikD9I
9-0-0 = Best Start in School History#GigEm pic.twitter.com/YwUObcrXl5
— Texas A&M Soccer (@AggieSoccer) September 15, 2018
"We just wanted to show the SEC that we're coming for that ring."
— Texas A&M Soccer (@AggieSoccer) September 15, 2018
?? @gpipesrush9 following Friday's SEC-opening victory#GigEm pic.twitter.com/fEfkJbYjMl
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Team Stats
McCain, Addie (2)
TAMU McCain, Addie PENALTY KICK GOAL, goal number 2 for season.
18:59
Piper, Grace (3)
Assisted By: Alston, Briana
header from 6 yards out on a free kick
21:04
Smith, Rheagen (3)
Assisted By: Ritchie, Kendall
header at near post on corner kick
80:20
