Texas A&M's high-powered offense shines in 6-0 shutout over Sam Houston
Texas A&M soccer dominated the Sam Houston Bearkats, 6-0, at Ellis Field on Thursday night. With the win, the Aggies earned their third consecutive shutout of the season.
It was a slow-paced opening as both sides displayed tight defenses.
At the 12-minute mark of the match, the Aggies established momentum when sophomore defender Mia Pante scored the first goal of the game and her first of the season. The goal was set up by a dynamic duo of junior midfielder Kate Colvin and sophomore forward Laney Carrol.
“I think it really just goes down to practice. In practice, everyone is working so hard,” Pante said. “You can see it on the field, this is the fun stuff, and this is what we train every day to do. It was amazing to show our depth.”
The Aggies added to their lead in the 24th minute on a Sam Houston own goal. Senior forward Jai Smith then increased the lead to 3-0 in the 35th minute, her first career goal.
“In the spring, I played really well, and I was able to put some goals in the back of the net,” Smith said. “I just wanted to show it again during the season when it really matters. Hopefully, it keeps happening throughout the rest of the season.”
The Aggies were determined to dominate the match, scoring another goal with 55 seconds left in the first half. Sample and junior midfielder Taylor Pounds found Smith for the goal — taking the Aggies to a 4-0 lead.
The Bearkats struggled to match up offensively with the Aggies, ending the first half with no shot attempts and only one save.
Sam Houston continued to play hard, picking up their first shot attempt of the match in the 50th minute to open the second half. Luckily, freshman goalkeeper Jordyn Gunnarson saved the attempt for the Aggies.
Colvin continued to carry the spark for the Aggies, scoring the team’s fifth goal at the 55-minute mark following a penalty kick. The Bearkats answered with a shot out top by Lexi Primacio but could not get a goal.
Sawyer Dumond capped off the scoring in the 79th minute with an assist from Natalie Yoo to secure the 6-0 win while outshooting the Bearkats 32-7.
Texas A&M head coach G Guerrieri offered some words on the team’s performance.
“It is all about the way that the team defends together as a unit; it’s not an individual thing,” Guerrieri said. “It’s all the individuals acting as a group, and they have really done a great job with it so far.
“The game on Saturday will be another step up in competition. New Mexico State does a really good job with possessing the ball, so we will see how our defense works against that. We are expecting to have our hands full, and I know that Ellis field will be overflowing Saturday. So hopefully, the energy from the crowd will help us to keep pressure on the other team.”
The Aggies will return to Ellis Field on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT for a match against New Mexico State.
