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Photo by Brian Okosun
Texas A&M Soccer

Texas A&M soccer defeats Kentucky in overtime, 2-1

October 20, 2016
6,101

Following five losses and one draw, Texas A&M was desperate for a shift in momentum on Thursday night against the Kentucky Wildcats.

Fortunately for the Aggies, the team was able to bring home their first win in four weeks. Kentucky took the lead early in the game, but their fast and furious start did not hold off Texas A&M for long.

The Aggies tied the game with a little over 15 minutes of play time remaining then sealed the victory with a goal in overtime. The win brings Texas A&M's record to 8-7-1.

"I can't say enough for how proud I am of these guys," Coach G. Guerrieri said. "This team showed the character and the mental toughness that we've been needing all year long. This is a big result, to come from behind."

However, as the game took shape in the first half, a win seemed unlikely for the Aggies.

Three minutes after kick-off, Kentucky worked the ball down in front of Texas A&M's net. After bouncing the ball around in front of the goal, Kentucky's Kaitlin Miller found teammate Zoe Swift in a small opening. Swift was able to get a light touch on the ball and slid it into the back of the Aggies' net from six yards out.

The Wildcats held the lead for 70 minutes until a burst of energy from Texas A&M had the Aggies' offensive players bringing the heat in front of Kentucky's goal.

Brian Okosun Cienna Arrieta looks for an opening in the midfield.
Texas A&M's Mikaela Harvey found Haley Pounds open on the far right side of the field. Pounds made a dash down the field and found herself one-on-one with a Kentucky defender. Just as Pounds was nearly taken out of bounds, she blasted a cross in front of the Wildcats' goal and found Sarah Shaw ready by the left post.

Shaw connected with the ball, sending it into the lower left corner of the net from five yards out. The goal was her second of the season.

The goal tied the game, and the Aggies found themselves on the board for the first time.

Tied at the end of regulation, the Aggies were forced to take on the Wildcats in overtime.

With only 25 seconds left in the first overtime period, Pounds ran the ball down the field again. She found an opening and passed to Grace Piper, but Piper was quickly bombarded by Kentucky's defense. She eventually saw an out and passed the ball to Harvey.

Harvey ripped a shot from 20 yards out and sent the ball soaring over the keeper's hands, planting it deep in the back of the net. Harvey's winning goal was her second of the season.

The win on Thursday had a little extra meaning for the team. After a string of losses, a victory was what the team needed to get their confidence back and help them have a strong finish to the regular season.

"This is a huge momentum swing for us," Shaw said. "Obviously people were a little down on our losing streak, but now the confidence is up. Everyone's excited."

Harvey agreed that the win was necessary for the team's mentality going forward.

"Our team has been fighting the whole entire season. The score hasn't always shown how hard we've been working so it's really good to finally make it pay off," Harvey said.

Texas A&M is confident as they look ahead to their final two match-ups of the regular season. The Aggies will face No. 11 Auburn this Sunday at Ellis Field at 5 p.m.
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Texas A&M soccer defeats Kentucky in overtime, 2-1

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