Strong 1st half lifts Aggie Soccer over Loyola, clinching Outrigger Title
The No.11 Aggie soccer team extended their school-record unbeaten streak to 17 games on Sunday night in Waipahu, Hawai’i with a 3-0 win over Loyola Marymount. The win marked the second win of the season for the maroon and white and secured the Outrigger Soccer Kickoff Title.
The Aggies started the match with a similar lineup to the one they utilized in their first contest, with the lone addition being junior defender Callyn Watson — who started instead of junior Briana Alston.
Junior forward Ally Watt got the maroon and white on the scoreboard first after dodging two defenders and ripping a shot to the far post, tallying her first goal of the season in the 28th minute.
The Aggies maintained possession for the majority of the first half and were able to string passes together with ease. Freshman Macie Kolb was substituted on in the 31st minute and just nine minutes later received a beautiful long ball from freshman forward Ásdís Halldórsdóttir and buried it in the bottom left corner of the goal — her first career collegiate goal.
“On the second goal it was great to see two freshmen working together,” A&M head coach G Guerrieri said. “It was a nice service from Ásdís (Halldórsdóttir) and Macie (Kolb) did a great job taking the shot in the one-on-one situation.”
After several attacks in the latter minutes of the half proved fruitless, the maroon and white finished the first half with a 2-0 lead. The Aggies also held a 10-2 advantage in shots at the intermission.
Though the Aggies were on the attack for the majority of the second half, they struggled to convert their chances into goals. The lack of production prompted Guerrieri to make some personnel adjustments.
Guerrieri made six different substitutions, creating new looks in hopes of getting the attack going. Guerrieri attributed the lack of production to the wind which forced his team to play primarily on the ground to avoid the ball lofting up in the air.
“It was tough sledding in the second half, playing into the wind, but we were able to make the best of a set piece,” Guerrieri said.
One of Guerrieri’s subs brought Ally Watt back into the game in the 78th minute. Watt was able to extend the Aggies lead to 3-0 after receiving a ball that bounced off of the back of a Loyola defender and then firing a bullet into the back of the net.
The maroon and white held onto the 3-0 lead as the clock winded down, clinching their fourth (2-0-0) start in the last five seasons. A&M senior goalie Cosette Morche posted another clean sheet in which she had to do minimal work, having to make just two saves.
The Aggies will now return home to prepare for their home-opener against BYU on Friday night. Overall, Guerrieri said the trip was a positive experience both on and off the field.
“It was a great experience. The players did an outstanding job separating when it was time to have fun and what it was time to work,” Guerrieri said. “We wanted to handle this like a ‘fun business trip.’ It is a lot more fun when you play well and get the results we were able to get.”
The Aggies will return to action on Friday in their home-opener against BYU, with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m.
