No. 11 Aggie Soccer starts season with commanding win over Hawai’i

The No. 11 A&M soccer team opened its 26th season late Friday night by defeating the University of Hawai’i, 4-0, in the first game of the Outrigger Soccer Kickoff in Waipahu, Hawai’i.

The Aggies got the scoring going early, as senior forward Brittany Crabtree netted the first goal of the season in the 13th minute after the Hawai’i keeper lost sight of her and placed the ball on the ground. The keeper’s mistake allowed Crabtree to make a quick tackle and then pass the ball into an empty net.

"Ally (Watt) was able to really scare the goalie over to my side. I think she was surprised I was there. I able to make the tackle and get the ball into the back of the net,” Crabtree said.

The Aggies dominated possession and were on the attack for the majority of the first half. The maroon and white were able to supplement their lead in the 25th minute via a beautiful free kick across the box by senior defender Kendall Ritchie. Ritchie’s cross was perfectly placed onto the head of Crabtree, who slipped it past the keeper.

"Kendall's service was amazing. The team worked really hard to get a foul down in that corner,” Crabtree said. “Kendall got a perfect ball to my head and I didn't have to do much but touch it so the goalie couldn't get there.”

The Aggies scored off of another cross in the 45th minute, just before halftime — this time from the left side as junior forward Cienna Arrieta sent a fast-paced cross across the six-yard box. Sophomore midfielder Rheagan Smith was able to dodge a defender and slip it past the keeper with a left-footed strike.

After a one-sided half in which they held a 10-2 advantage in shots, the maroon and white held a 3-0 lead at the intermission.

The second half was more of the same as the Aggies were able to keep the ball on the Hawai’i side of the field for the majority of play.

The maroon and white were able to wear down the Rainbow Wahine defense and net their fourth and final goal in the 73rd minute. Freshman midfielder Kendall Bates lofted a corner kick across the box that was cleared out to sophomore forward Jordan Hill who struck a bullet of a shot into the left side netting.

The 4-0 lead allowed head coach G Guerrieri to rest some of his starters and give some substitutes some caps.

“I think we played 19 players tonight, so no one was overworked. That will help us out against a really tough opponent on Sunday,” Guerrieri said.

The Aggies went on to defeat Hawai’i 4-0, notching their first win of the season and extending their unbeaten streak to 16 matches. A&M finished the match with eight shots on goal while Hawai’i had zero. Guerrieri said that he was pleased with his team’s performance.

“It's fantastic to start off with a 1-0 record. We had some great goals tonight. Brittany Crabtree with two. It's great to see Brittany scoring goals,” Guerrieri said. “ Jordan Hill with a terrific goal following up on a corner kick. And a world-class service from Cienna Arrieta to Rheagen (Smith) with the great finish.”

The Aggies will look to keep their undefeated record in tact as they face Loyola Marymount on Sunday night at 7:30 p.m. CT.