Aggies dominant on both ends in 4-0 win over Cal State Northridge

The No.16 Texas A&M Aggies (2-0-1 ) shut out the California State Northridge Matadors 4-0 on Friday to earn their first home victory of the season.

Despite a late start to the game due to rainy weather, the Aggies looked sharp in their home opener. In the tenth minute, a shot by sophomore midfielder Macie Kolb with assists from Ally Watt and Grace Piper put A&M ahead early.

Building on the momentum, forward Taylor Ziemer bent one in the bottom corner in the eleventh minute to score her first goal as an Aggie. Ziemer, a junior transfer from the University of Virginia, followed up a strong performance on the road against Santa Clara with another stellar showing in Friday’s game. Scoring two of the Aggies’ four goals in the match, the forward proved herself to be a vital part of the Aggies talented offensive front.

In the twenty-second minute, junior midfielder Jimena Lopez headered for a score off a corner kick from Ali Russell to give the Aggies the 3-0 lead heading into half time. 

In the second half, the Aggies continued to be aggressive on all fronts. A&M’s defense had an outstanding night, earning a shutout. Following an explosive first half, the Aggie offense continued to put up points. A second score from Ziemer, with assists from Rheagen Smith and Katie Smith, put the Aggies up 4-0 to close out the match. 

Angelina Alcantar, TexAgs

Jimena Lopez (14) scores on a header off a corner kick to put A&M up 3-0.

Coming off a difficult road trip that featured matchups with No. 13 Santa Clara and a talented Pepperdine team, head coach G Guerrieri was pleased with the teams’ performance in Friday’s game, particularly his offense. 

“In the attack, we really just needed to look more like ourselves,” said Guerrieri. “We weren’t ourselves completely in California even though we got good results. Tonight was more indicative of how we can play.”

Ziemer, who scored two goals in the match, felt the Aggies’ offensive success would give the team a confidence boost following their road game openers. 

“I think it was big time for us to score four goals," Ziemer said. "We haven’t been able to score as we would like. In Pepperdine, we had a lot of chances and just couldn’t put them away. The two goals I scored were team goals.

"It was good to get goals where my teammates made it pretty easy to finish, which gives a confidence boost for us. We can create those chances where a goal should be scored. I think we can be really confident playing.“

The Aggies will be back in action this weekend as they face off with Abilene Christina at Ellis Field on Sunday night.