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Photo by Brian Okosun
Texas A&M Soccer
No. 14 A&M Soccer beats Illinois 2-0 for third consecutive shutout
In their final game before the start of SEC play, the Aggies showcased their brilliance in front of the goal in a demanding fight against the Illinois Illini on Sunday night.
"That team is good enough to beat us if we don't come out and have a good night," Coach G. Guerrieri said about the Aggies' opponents.
And Texas A&M had a good night, indeed.
Despite Illinois' impressive speed and strength, the Aggies walked away with 2-0 victory after capitalizing on moments of confusion among the Illini defense. It was clear Illinois was unprepared for the pressure Texas A&M forwards Emily Bates and Haley Pounds would bring to the game.
After over 20 minutes of both teams trading possession in the midfield, the Aggie offense would find their first goal-scoring opportunity.
In the 22nd minute of the game, an Illinois defender headed the ball toward her own goal keeper. What the Illinois player thought was a safe pass back to the keeper turned out to be the perfect opening for Pounds to make a move for a goal. Before the keeper could get a touch from the header, Pounds stole the ball and blazed a shot into the net from 12 yards out.
Brian Okosun
Emily Bates showcases her ball skills, dribbling past the defenders to take a shot at the goal.
"The first goal by Haley Pounds was won by pure heart," Guerrieri said.
Pounds was not the only one pressing the defense to the breaking point tonight. Bates came out of the gate in the second half on a mission.
In the 59th minute, the Aggies were relentlessly taking shots at the Illini goal. Pounds got her feet to the ball and drove herself through the Illinois defense with sights set on Bates.
After a pass to the midfield from Pounds, Bates gained possession of the ball. She dribbled around the confused Illinois defenders and slid a shot into the back of the net for her second goal of the weekend.
"She hit it left foot, far post, on the ground which is pretty much unstoppable," Pounds said of Bates' goal.
"She is so good at beating defenders and crossing people up. Just play it back to Emily and let her do what she does best."
In addition to a game-winning performance from the Texas A&M forwards, the third shutout in a row for goal keeper Danielle Rice and the Aggies is a sign of their dominance on defense.
"It gives us so much confidence going into the SEC with shutouts," Pounds said.
With that confidence, Texas A&M is going into next week's first conference game against LSU with their eyes on the prize.
"We want our trophy back," Guerrieri said.
"One of our goals is to win the SEC championship every year. We didn't win one last year so we need to do what we can to put ourselves back in contention for that. This is a tough league."
Despite having two early season losses, the Aggies are positive about their potential in SEC games after their growth in the last few weeks of challenging match-ups.
"We've had to battle against some really good teams, some tough teams," Guerrieri said. "We're not happy with any losses but we lost 1-0 to two final-four caliber teams, and we learned from those games and now we've gotten better as we've gone through."
Tonight's win brings the Aggies' current season record to 4-2-0. Texas A&M will start their fight for the SEC title at Ellis Field next Sunday night against LSU.
"That team is good enough to beat us if we don't come out and have a good night," Coach G. Guerrieri said about the Aggies' opponents.
And Texas A&M had a good night, indeed.
Despite Illinois' impressive speed and strength, the Aggies walked away with 2-0 victory after capitalizing on moments of confusion among the Illini defense. It was clear Illinois was unprepared for the pressure Texas A&M forwards Emily Bates and Haley Pounds would bring to the game.
After over 20 minutes of both teams trading possession in the midfield, the Aggie offense would find their first goal-scoring opportunity.
In the 22nd minute of the game, an Illinois defender headed the ball toward her own goal keeper. What the Illinois player thought was a safe pass back to the keeper turned out to be the perfect opening for Pounds to make a move for a goal. Before the keeper could get a touch from the header, Pounds stole the ball and blazed a shot into the net from 12 yards out.
Brian Okosun
Emily Bates showcases her ball skills, dribbling past the defenders to take a shot at the goal.
Pounds was not the only one pressing the defense to the breaking point tonight. Bates came out of the gate in the second half on a mission.
In the 59th minute, the Aggies were relentlessly taking shots at the Illini goal. Pounds got her feet to the ball and drove herself through the Illinois defense with sights set on Bates.
After a pass to the midfield from Pounds, Bates gained possession of the ball. She dribbled around the confused Illinois defenders and slid a shot into the back of the net for her second goal of the weekend.
"She hit it left foot, far post, on the ground which is pretty much unstoppable," Pounds said of Bates' goal.
"She is so good at beating defenders and crossing people up. Just play it back to Emily and let her do what she does best."
In addition to a game-winning performance from the Texas A&M forwards, the third shutout in a row for goal keeper Danielle Rice and the Aggies is a sign of their dominance on defense.
"It gives us so much confidence going into the SEC with shutouts," Pounds said.
With that confidence, Texas A&M is going into next week's first conference game against LSU with their eyes on the prize.
"We want our trophy back," Guerrieri said.
"One of our goals is to win the SEC championship every year. We didn't win one last year so we need to do what we can to put ourselves back in contention for that. This is a tough league."
Despite having two early season losses, the Aggies are positive about their potential in SEC games after their growth in the last few weeks of challenging match-ups.
"We've had to battle against some really good teams, some tough teams," Guerrieri said. "We're not happy with any losses but we lost 1-0 to two final-four caliber teams, and we learned from those games and now we've gotten better as we've gone through."
Tonight's win brings the Aggies' current season record to 4-2-0. Texas A&M will start their fight for the SEC title at Ellis Field next Sunday night against LSU.
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