COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 11 Texas A&M Aggies dictated terms for most of the match and came out with a 2-0 decision over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane Sunday evening at Ellis Field.
In a match which was 15 minutes late starting due to inclement weather and featured rain off-and-on, the Aggies held an overwhelming edge in shots (35-12), shots-on-goal (13-6) and corner kicks (8-2).
Texas A&M broke the scoring seal with Brittany Crabtree notching her first goal of the season in the 35th minute. Ashlynn Harryman was the catalyst on the goal, booming a clearance from the top of the defensive penalty box. The service split two defenders and took the first bounce 15 yards on the offensive side of the center stripe. Crabtree tracked it down just outside the other penalty box and found herself one-on-one with goalkeeper Rebecca Defer. Shooting with a defender clawing at her back, Crabtree fired to the right of Defer from the penalty spot for the lid-lifter.
The halftime margin belied the Aggies’ dominance in the first half as the Maroon and White owned a 21-8 edge in shots and an 8-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Tulsa fought off several first-half barrages. In the 26th minute, Haley Pounds sent in a corner kick from the right arc. The offering settled at the feet of Sarah Shaw who hit the right post with a rocket from 12 yards. The carom found Grace Cory who had her shot from 10 yards punched over the crossbar by Defer.
In the 39th minute, Defer had to make two saves in a span of eight seconds as Mikaela Harvey and Jordan Hill peppered her with shots. The ball eventually came back to Harvey who sent the Aggies’ third shot in the combination just north of the crossbar from 10 yards.
The Aggies kept the pressure on in the second half, outshooting Tulsa 14-4.
Texas A&M finally broke through with an insurance goal in the 81st minute. Cienna Arrieta sent in a free kick from five yards off the endline and two yards off the right touchline. Her service was headed back to her by a Tulsa defender 10 yards off the right touchline and she sent another cross towards goal. The ball took a bounce inside the six-yard box and skirted past the goalkeeper for her second goal of the season and the 2-0 lead.
Danielle Rice made six saves in goal, including five in the first half, to record her first shutout of the season.
Texas A&M returns to action Friday when they host the Little Rock Trojans in a 7:30 pm contest at Ellis Field.
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach G Guerrieri
On the first goal…
“Good for Brittany Crabtree to get the game winner today. She has had a really good preseason. She’s come a log way since freshman year until now. That was a goal on her based on hard work. She was able to hold people off and stay composed and knock the ball over the ball over the keeper while on the run. If people are going to step up and put pressure on our midfield it’s nice that we can relieve that pressure with one ball and people on the outlets to run the balls down.”
On Cienna Arrieta’s goal…
“The ball that Cienna hit was the type of ball that makes gives the opponents questions. It’s bending like a cross but coming on goal like a shot. In a bit of confusion we get a goal. Hats off to Cienna for putting a dangerous ball in there and making it work. It was a ball that she was trying to put on goal anyway. We thought we might have to get a head on it but we fortunately we didn’t have to.”
Senior goalkeeper Danielle Rice
On importance of shutout and defense for this game….
“The shutout was a team effort by far. I was really hoping for the shutout today. We needed it for our team. It boosts the defense and boosts the team overall knowing that we can shut teams out. I think it gives us the confidence to go forward and score.”
Junior midfielder Mikaela Harvey
On the win and control of game….
“I know that we came out a little slow, but we were working really hard on our speed of play and connecting with each other. We just reminded ourselves that we know what to do and how to play, so we talked about that at halftime and won the game.”
On Tulsa goalkeeper’s saves….
“It definitely gets frustrating when it’s not going in the net, but at the same time it gives us confidence that we are getting so many shots and eventually it will go in.”
Sophomore forward Brittany Crabtree
On her first goal of the season…
“It’s always great to get the first goal, get some of the nerves out. It was really important for me to place it in a corner tonight. Getting tackled on the back end of it was kind of scary, but I’m glad it went in.”
On the play…
“I was making sure I stayed onside, because Ashlynn [Harryman] has the ability to play the ball long. She sent a great ball, it couldn’t have been any more perfect. I just knew that I was 1-v-1 with the keeper and placed the ball.”
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics