Saw 'Em Off and Advance: Aggies dominate Texas in NCAA tournament opener

The No. 22 ranked Texas A&M Aggies defeated the Texas Longhorns 4-1 in an NCAA Tournament showdown at Ellis on Friday night. With the season on the line, the atmosphere was electric as the A&M faithful came out in full force to support the Aggies as they faced the Longhorns in a post-season renewal of their historic rivalry. 

The Aggies, who finished the regular season 13-4-3, were looking to rebound from a disappointing loss to Florida in the quarterfinal round of the SEC Tournament. Heading into the NCAA’s, the Aggies were facing a familiar opponent in long-standing rival and former conference competitor in Texas.  Playing for the first time since 2011, both teams needed the win to advance in tournament competition and to avoid elimination. 

While none of the current team was on the roster during the last showdown between the two programs, the team has become familiar with the storied rivalry between the two schools. A&M head coach G Guerrieri, who was absent from the match due to a family illness, was critical in helping to motivate his team leading up to the match.   

“He hyped us up all week long about where the rivalry with Texas comes from and where the dislike comes from, where it stems from, and the history of it all,” said junior midfielder Taylor Ziemer. “It’s a game that means a lot to him. He was a big part of what we went out there to do.”

The Aggies started a little sluggishly, struggling to take possession early. In the opening minutes of the half, Texas looked strong on defense, smothering early efforts by the Aggie offense.  With the momentum on their side, Texas pushed the ball into their attacking third, earning several set-piece opportunities and putting pressure on the Aggie backline.  

In the 7th minute, the Longhorns broke the ice. Sophomore Cameron Brooks brought the ball down the left sideline, pushing deep into Aggie territory. Brooks sent a high cross from outside the left corner of the box to a waiting forward Cydney Billups. Billups managed to find a good angle on the floating shot, heading it into the bottom left corner of the goal to give Texas the early 1-0 lead.

Following the Longhorns score, the Aggies settled in and found their stride offensively. The Aggies began to battle back from the early deficit, playing with greater aggression and physicality as they fought for possession in the midfield. With both team’s offenses playing at full power, the intensity of the high-stakes game notched up a level, feeding off the excitement and energy of the packed stadium.

In the 9th minute, A&M looked like it might pull even with Texas. Sophomore Macie Kolb brought the ball up the right sideline, taking it to the backline while under pressure from a Longhorn defender. Kolb sent a cross to a perfectly positioned Jimena Lopez on the left side of the box. Lopez got off a high powered shot, but it missed the goal by inches, deflecting off the left post and leaving the Aggies scoreless early. In the 23rd minute, the Aggies were threatening again. Addie McCain found the ball in A&M’s attacking third and sent it to Macie Kolb. Kolb took the ball into the 18-yard box and sent in a high cross towards the upper corner of the goal. The shot looked like it might slot in the top corner of the frame untouched by Texas’s diving goalkeeper, but it deflected off the crossbar, barely missing finding the back of the net.

After some meaningful possessions and several near misses in their shots on goal, the Aggies were looking to convert and get on the board.

In the 24th minute, the Aggies found their equalizer. Junior midfielder Taylor Ziemer took a touch from Grace Piper in left field, settled the ball, and unleashed a powerful shot straight up the middle. The arching shot from distance was on frame, sliding in the top edge of the goal over a fully extended goalkeeper to put the Aggies on the board.   

In the 44th minute, the Aggies were in position to take the lead. Sophomore forward Ásdís Halldórsdóttir took the ball into the Aggies’ attacking third, sending a cross to Jimena Lopez while under pressure from the Longhorn backline. Lopez took the ball to the left end line and sent a high powered cross into a crowded box. Halldórsdóttir looked like she might run onto it, but the shot found a well-positioned Tera Ziemer in the box. Ziemer coolly slid it in behind a diving Texas goalkeeper to give the Aggies their second score of the day. With the contribution of a goal apiece from both of the Ziemer sisters, the Aggies took the 2-1 lead as they headed into the break. 

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Many A&M soccer players celebrated their victory over Texas by throwing the horns down in the Ellis Field student section.

Coming out of halftime, the Aggies were looking to continue their stretch of dominance on offense and build their lead. In the 56th minute, they did just that. Forward Ally Watt, under pressure from the Longhorn backline, sent a deep ball back to Grace Piper. Piper sent in a missile on her first touch from thirty yards out. The shot was perfectly positioned, leaving Texas’s goalkeeper helpless to block it.  With the goal, Piper’s first of the season, the Aggies increased their lead to 3-1.  

Fully in command of the game, the Aggies did not let off the gas. In the 59th minute, Ally Watt took the ball deep into Texas territory, unleashing a screaming shot on goal. The shot was on frame, but Texas’ goalkeeper managed to get a hand on it, barely deflecting it away from the goal. 

In the 72nd minute, the Aggies were still pressuring the Longhorns. Katie Smith took the ball into the Aggies’ attacking third and sent a cross to Jimena Lopez under pressure. Lopez took the ball to the backline, sending a high cross into the box in traffic. A Texas defender, trying to prevent Ally Watt from gaining possession, got her foot in front of the shot and sent it into the goal on an awkward hop. The own goal for Texas gave the Aggies their final goal of the night and a 4-1 lead. 

Senior midfielder Grace Piper believes the emotions of the day and the support of the fans during the match helped to boost the team’s performance.  

“I think we had a lot of motivation with the rivalry with Texas and our coach having to be away,” said Piper. “We really wanted to play for him tonight. That meant a lot to us. And the crowd- the 12th Man was awesome. They showed up, and we knew they would. It just gave us that extra kick.”

With the win, the Aggies improve to 21-5-2 against the Longhorns overall and will advance to the second round of NCAA Tournament play for their twenty-second consecutive season. A&M will face off with the winner of the Cal State Fullerton- Southern Cal Saturday match next Friday.