Photo by Matt Sachs, TexAgs
Texas A&M Soccer
A&M Soccer survives first-round scare to advance in NCAA Tournament
In what was more than likely the last game at Ellis Field this season, it was only right that Texas A&M Soccer walked away victorious.
In Friday’s first round of the NCAA Tournament, Texas A&M took down Washington, 2-1. Haley Pounds' goal in the 53rd minute proved to be the difference. When Pounds’ left footer found the back of the net, she leaped into the air and let out a scream. However, until the final second ticked off, everyone in attendance was holding their breath.
In the early moments, Washington appeared to be setting the pace.
With the first five corners, eight first half shots and a number of close chances, the Huskies were primed to jump in front. Luckily for A&M, UW lacked the final pass that would have made the difference each trip down the field. For that, Coach G Guerrieri was thankful.
“Thank goodness,” he said of the missed opportunities. “A lot of their corners were extremely dangerous. They do a good job of keeping possession and creating a nice little tempo to try and get people in serving positions. Thankfully, we were able to snuff out a lot of their crosses and deflect their corners. We definitely dodged some bullets.”
A&M’s defensive excellence allowed it to take some chances on the offensive side.
Matt Sachs, TexAgs
Kate Hajdu broke through for her first goal in nearly three months
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As they have all season, the Aggies utilized their speed on the edges to open up the offense. From there, it was up to A&M to do what Washington couldn’t by making the extra pass. The Ags did that and did it perfectly in the 24th minute to gain a 1-0 lead.
From the right corner, Kate Hajdu dished out to Haley Pounds, who gave it right back to Hajdu. With a juke she was in the clear, but only for a moment. Her shot from eight yards out went through a defender’s legs before sliding just under the keeper’s outstretched arms.
For Kate, it was a moment of excitement and relief. She scored three goals early in the season, but none since. Now, having that pressure off might be the key to more postseason success for the freshman.
“I feel like this has been a big transition year (for me),” Hajdu said. “I came out and played well early because I was so excited. But with school and everything, I felt like I lost my way until the end of the season. These past few weeks, I told myself, ‘You can score, you can score.’ Finally I was able to get it and now my confidence is soaring.”
It was 1-0 going into halftime, but soon after play started back up, the Aggies doubled their advantage in the 53rd minute.
On a long pass in from Ashlynn Harryman — one that actually bounced off a Huskies player — Haley Pounds was able to square up and fire from seven yards out. The goal, which finished in the left side of the net, put A&M up 2-0 and was a perfect example of the Aggies having the presence of mind to look down the field for all their options.
“They were trying to step up win a lot of balls in the midfield,” Guerrieiri said. “So for Ashlynn, it was a good thing that she looked up and saw it. But it was another thing that she was able to actually hit a 50 yard pass left footed and put it in that space.”
A perfect pass was collected and finished into the left side of the goal. When that ball crossed the threshold, it was a new game.
But, the Aggies held tough and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament — where North Carolina is waiting for them.
“We’ve got a week to clean things up,” Guerrieri said. “From here, the challenges only get tougher each week.”
That next challenge will be Friday, November 20th as A&M goes head to head with North Carolina at either Clemson or Chapel Hill.
In Friday’s first round of the NCAA Tournament, Texas A&M took down Washington, 2-1. Haley Pounds' goal in the 53rd minute proved to be the difference. When Pounds’ left footer found the back of the net, she leaped into the air and let out a scream. However, until the final second ticked off, everyone in attendance was holding their breath.
In the early moments, Washington appeared to be setting the pace.
With the first five corners, eight first half shots and a number of close chances, the Huskies were primed to jump in front. Luckily for A&M, UW lacked the final pass that would have made the difference each trip down the field. For that, Coach G Guerrieri was thankful.
“Thank goodness,” he said of the missed opportunities. “A lot of their corners were extremely dangerous. They do a good job of keeping possession and creating a nice little tempo to try and get people in serving positions. Thankfully, we were able to snuff out a lot of their crosses and deflect their corners. We definitely dodged some bullets.”
A&M’s defensive excellence allowed it to take some chances on the offensive side.
Matt Sachs, TexAgs
Kate Hajdu broke through for her first goal in nearly three months
{"Module":"photo","Alignment":"right","Size":"large","Caption":"Kate Hajdu broke through for her first goal in nearly three months","MediaItemID":60611}
From the right corner, Kate Hajdu dished out to Haley Pounds, who gave it right back to Hajdu. With a juke she was in the clear, but only for a moment. Her shot from eight yards out went through a defender’s legs before sliding just under the keeper’s outstretched arms.
For Kate, it was a moment of excitement and relief. She scored three goals early in the season, but none since. Now, having that pressure off might be the key to more postseason success for the freshman.
“I feel like this has been a big transition year (for me),” Hajdu said. “I came out and played well early because I was so excited. But with school and everything, I felt like I lost my way until the end of the season. These past few weeks, I told myself, ‘You can score, you can score.’ Finally I was able to get it and now my confidence is soaring.”
It was 1-0 going into halftime, but soon after play started back up, the Aggies doubled their advantage in the 53rd minute.
On a long pass in from Ashlynn Harryman — one that actually bounced off a Huskies player — Haley Pounds was able to square up and fire from seven yards out. The goal, which finished in the left side of the net, put A&M up 2-0 and was a perfect example of the Aggies having the presence of mind to look down the field for all their options.
“They were trying to step up win a lot of balls in the midfield,” Guerrieiri said. “So for Ashlynn, it was a good thing that she looked up and saw it. But it was another thing that she was able to actually hit a 50 yard pass left footed and put it in that space.”
These past few weeks, I told myself, ‘You can score, you can score.’ Finally I was able to get it and now my confidence is soaring.
{"Module":"quote","Alignment":"left","Quote":"These past few weeks, I told myself, ‘You can score, you can score.’ Finally I was able to get it and now my confidence is soaring.","Author":"Kate Hajdu"}
Things got much tighter in the 67th minute as Washington finally broke through for a goal on a cross in the six yard box. A perfect pass was collected and finished into the left side of the goal. When that ball crossed the threshold, it was a new game.
But, the Aggies held tough and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament — where North Carolina is waiting for them.
“We’ve got a week to clean things up,” Guerrieri said. “From here, the challenges only get tougher each week.”
That next challenge will be Friday, November 20th as A&M goes head to head with North Carolina at either Clemson or Chapel Hill.
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