COLUMBIA, Missouri – The
Texas A&M Aggies ran their win streak to four matches with a 2-1
win over the Missouri Tigers at Walton Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The
Maroon and White have outscored SEC opponents 16-2 during the win
streak. With the win, the Aggies increased their league point total to
12, just one-point behind first-place LSU (13) in the SEC standings.
After
dictating the terms of play to no avail in the first 42 minutes of
action, the Aggies finally drew first blood with 2:59 remaining in the
first half. After a free kick by Missouri was deflected to the right
touchline, Bianca Brinson collected the ball and raced through the
Tigers’ midfield and defense from penalty box to penalty box before
dumping the ball to Liz Keester 20 yards out. Keester launched a shot
into the left upper 90 to give A&M a 1-0 lead going into the
intermission.
Texas
A&M (9-3-1, 4-1-0 SEC) owned substantial margins in shots (15-2),
shots-on-goal (7-1) and corner kicks (4-0) in the first half, but had
numerous scoring chances snuffed out by Missouri netminder McKenzie
Sauerwein who had six saves in the opening stanza.
Kelley
Monogue fired off six shots in the first half, including four
shots-on-goal. In the 15th and 17th minutes, Monogue unleashed shots
from 20 yards out only to have Sauerwein go to a knee for a save and
make a diving save at the left post. In the 28th minute, Monogue sailed
a shot a mere inches over the crossbar from 18 yards out. Sauerwein
punched a Monogue offering over the crossbar from 15 yards out in the
32nd minute. Keester forced a diving save from Sauerwein in the 10th
minute and a Karlie Mueller shot from 20 yards out in the 20th minute
required a punch save.
Despite the wind
emboldening the Missouri attack, A&M several other chances for
goals early in the second half but were unable to put the biscuit in
the basket. In the 54th minute, Sauerwein made a save on an Annie Kunz
shot from 20 yards out and she got her mitt on a Groom shot from 10
yards out and Kunz missed the clean-up shot in the 64th minute.
The
Aggies finally scored what would prove to be an important insurance
goal in the 71st minute. Shea Groom sent a shot in from just outside
the six-yard box. Sauerwein made a save, but the ball corralled to the
foot of Allie Bailey who sent it home for the 2-0 lead.
The
Maroon and White lead became precarious again in the 86th minute when
Missouri finally broke the scoring seal. Danielle Nottingham worked the
ball down the right touchline and sent a cross into Alyssa Diggs who
beat Jordan Day to the left side from eight yards out.
Day made two saves in goal for the Aggies to pick up her 41st career win. Sauerwein made 11 saves for Missouri.
Texas
A&M finished the contest owning wide margins in shots (27-8) and
shots-on-goal (13-3), but the Tigers evened corner kick chances at 5-5.
The Aggies return to action on Friday when the Maroon and White host the Arkansas Razorbacks in an 8 pm contest at Ellis Field.
Texas A&M Quotes
Head Coach G Guerrieri
On
the importance of two road wins on the weekend: As we discussed
on Friday, it’s a monumental task winning on the road in conference
play. Especially when we were playing an athletic and well-coached team
like Missouri. We got a great goal from Liz (Keester) in the first half
with Bianca (Brinson) doing a lot of the leg work to set up the goal.
And in the second half, perseverance paid off for Shea (Groom) and
Allie (Bailey).
On playing with the wind: Luckily
the wind was a bit of a crosswind rather than blowing from one end to
the other. For us to come out in the second half and get a goal against
that wind was huge. Jordan (Day) made a couple of great saves on some
cross to help seal the win.
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