No. 13 Texas A&M soccer extends shutout streak in draw with Brown
No. 13 ranked Texas A&M Soccer faced off with the Brown University Bears on Sunday in a double-overtime match that ended in a scoreless draw.
Heading into their first game in school history against the Aggies, Brown was undefeated in its first three matches of the season. The latest of Brown’s three wins was an impressive shutout victory over longstanding powerhouse Connecticut.
Off to an undefeated start as well, the Aggies were looking to conclude their four-match homestand with another win. Dominant performances in two shutout matches against CSUN and ACU as well as a strong game versus a talented Ohio State team showed the depth and talent of A&M’s squad.
On a sweltering September Sunday, the game started out a bit slowly. The Aggie offense began to heat up with a shot by Taylor Ziemer in the 12th minute that was slightly high and to the left of the frame. Midfielder Grace Piper, Tera Ziemer and Katie Smith all recorded shots in the first half as well with no success.
In the second half, the Aggie offense played aggressively, totaling nine shots after the break. A&M came close to a score in the 63rd minute of the match when sophomore forward Asdis Halldorsdottir tried to slot one in the lower right corner that was saved by the Bear’s goalkeeper Kayla Thompson. Thompson had a phenomenal game against the Aggies, recording six saves across one hundred and ten minutes of play.
The Aggies continued to attack on offense as the teams headed into overtime. In the additional twenty minutes of play, A&M racked up five more shots, finishing the day with 21.
While disappointed the match did not end with an Aggie victory, A&M head coach G Guerrieri was pleased with the intensity his team played with during the second half and overtime periods of the game.
“We have to put the ball on frame. There were some really well-struck balls, like with Taylor Ziemer hitting a couple screamers,” said Guerrieri.
“However, if they’re over the goal, they might as well try to hit Reed Arena. We’ll work on it. It’s still very early in the season. We’re only three weeks into a long season, and we can do better. The good thing is we have the quality in this team to do it. It just wasn’t there tonight.”
The Aggies’ defense was a bright spot on the night. A&M’s defense played well during the match, allowing no shots in either overtime period. With only four shots allowed during the entirety of the game, the Aggies continued their streak of shutouts. Sunday’s match marks only the second time in school history that the Aggies have held their opponents scoreless across their first four games of the season.
Despite feelings of disappointment in not adding to the win column, the Aggies are moving forward and looking towards their next match-up.
“I think we played really hard. That was one of our better games in keeping possession. We had a lot of chances, but we just couldn’t finish them,” said sophomore defender Karlina Sample.
“Things are going to change this week.”
The Aggies will be back in action when they face off with the No. 10 BYU Cougars on Thursday at South Field in Utah.