COLLEGE STATION, TX - 28 seconds is all it took for Texas A&M to score first
in their first SEC home matchup against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. In case
you're unfamiliar with soccer, just know that this generally doesn’t happen.
Usually a goal is formed after much time of preparation and strategic ball
movement across the field, but not if you're Texas A&M.
With just
28 seconds Texas A&M took control of a game that would never leave their
hands. At no point during the first half did the Aggies ever have to make a
save and at no point during the first half did MSU ever have a shot on goal.
More importantly, Texas A&M took 19 shots on goal in the first half with
seven of those shots being on target and five of those shots finding the back
of the net.
Never was
there a moment where Coach Guerrieri’s team seemed to show signs of slowing
down. With a plethora of substitutions at the half, including A&M’s GK
Jordan Day, the team continued their dominance no matter who was playing. Even
ten minutes after the start of the second half, the Aggie’s Shea Groom somehow
managed to deepen the wound against the Bulldogs scoring her second goal of the
evening.
We looked good in a lot of ways tonight.
- Coach Guerrieri
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One would
only assume that after six goals the pace of the game would find a rhythm of
slowing down, but not for the Aggies. Texas A&M would go on to score two
more goals coming from Ana Cruz and Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar, both
recording their first career goals as Aggies.
A frozen
MSU bench looked on in misery, counting down the minutes to head home, while an
ecstatic A&M sideline continued to cheer their team on in the second half. When
asked about the energy in the first half Coach Guerrieri humbly responded “We
looked good in a lot of ways tonight. The players after last week were really
disappointed, and it became a really focused week in training. You could see
how that hard work paid off for the players.”
All in all, Texas A&M dominated MSU in every single aspect, finishing off the Bulldogs 8-0 at Ellis Field.