Match #4: Texas A&M 5, Sam Houston 0
Records: Texas A&M (2-2-0, 0-0-0), Sam Houston (0-1-2, 0-0-0)
Box Score
Texas A&M (2-2-0, 0-0-0) won their home opener against Sam Houston (0-1-2, 0-0-0) at Ellis Field, 5-0.
The Aggies faced the Bearkats on Saturday with 3,768 fans in attendance for Bobby Shuttleworth’s first home game as head coach.
“I've heard quite a bit about [Ellis Field],” Shuttleworth said. “It didn't disappoint. This support was amazing. You could hear the fans the entire time. So, I think our team really fed off of that, and obviously, if we can, you know, continue to get that kind of support, that would be amazing.”
The Bearkats had never scored a goal on A&M in five previous meetings. The streak continued tonight as the Aggies earned their first shutout of the season.
The Aggies dominated possession of the ball throughout the 90 minutes and did not allow the Bearkats to have many scoring opportunities, outshooting their opponents 32-2.
A&M’s duo of senior midfielder Trinity Buchanan and freshman forward Ireland Churchill was on full display.
“I think Coach Bobby put us together almost every single practice, anytime he could,” Churchill said. “And I think that really built the relationship between us to where it helps in the games, and I think just over time, our connection's getting better and better. As games go on and practices, we keep coming together.”
A high pass from Hattie Patterson allowed Churchill to headbutt the first goal of the night in the 19th minute.
“Oh, it was awesome,” Churchill said. “Hattie crossed that ball up in the air, and then I just saw it coming and just kind of went for it, hoping the goalie wasn't going to take me out, but it worked out well, and it went in, so really happy about that goal.”
Buchanan scored her fourth goal of the season in the 40th minute. A quick pass from Churchill allowed Buchanan to get a shot past Bearkat keeper Hannah Stipp, who had only allowed one goal this season.
Extending the lead to 3-0, Churchill scored her second goal of the night with a bottom-right corner shot in the 50th minute from Buchanan.
Yet again, Buchanan scored her second goal of the match in the 55th with a pass from freshman forward Finley Lacher. It was Buchanan’s second brace of the season.
A historic night of firsts for the Aggies included Churchill’s first home game at Ellis Field and her first brace.
“It's a great atmosphere here,” Churchill said. “I love it. That's one of the reasons why I committed here. And, I mean, I just thank the 12th Man for coming out and supporting us. It's awesome. Love the confetti, love the flashing lights, just everything about it, just awesome.”
After two back-to-back losses on the road, Buchanan said the team needed this win.
“Being 1-2 going into this game, we had, you know, a lot of fire,” Buchanan said. “And we wanted to, obviously, win this game for our spirits, and I think we were really hungry, and I think that showed out there.”
Able to maintain momentum towards the end, sophomore forward Ciara Jade Mitchell scored her first career goal in the 81st minute, with an assist from sophomore defender Lucy Landherr, bringing the score to 5-0.
The Aggies struggled with getting to first and second balls in prior games, but they showed assertiveness and had little problems on Saturday.
“We were composed,” Churchill said. “I think it just helped us a lot, and we're passing a lot better with each other. So I think the things are starting to connect.”
Next up, the Aggies continue at home in a matchup against undefeated Air Force (3-0-0, 0-0-0) on Thursday, Aug. 27.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT.
“We just need to keep building on this,” Shuttleworth said. “I think this is good for us, a good step forward, but it's one game, right? We need to continue to build on it, continue to get tighter and organize and make sure we're in good spaces.”
