Watt's two-goal performance lifts No. 12 A&M over UNLV, 4-0 in bounce back win
Coming off a tough loss to a talented No.10 BYU team, the Aggies were looking to kick their offense into high gear. With conference play on the horizon, the Aggies first ever meeting with the UNLV Rebels gave them the perfect opportunity to reestablish themselves on both sides of the ball before heading on the road to face off with SEC opponents.
The Aggies offense came out of the gate hot. In the 12th minute, senior forward Ally Watt, with assists from Tera Ziemer and Jimena Lopez, crossed one in the bottom right corner. On a cross from Lopez, Watt beat the Rebel’s goalkeeper to take the shot, putting the Aggies up early with the quickness and control that marked her stellar junior season.
In the 22nd minute, sophomore Tera Ziemer, with an assist by Katie Smith deep from the right side, earned another score for the Aggies. Ziemer slid one in the bottom left corner, capitalizing on a deflection off the left goal post. The goal was a special one as it marked Ziemer’s first career goal as an Aggie.
While still in the 22nd minute, Ally Watt, with an assist from Jimena Lopez, hit a screamer through the left side of the net from outside the box to put the Aggies up 3-0 heading into half time.
After a hot start on the evening, Watt continued to dominate during the match, recording a brace and an assist. Her second goal of the match moved her to a tie for number four on the NCAA active goal leaders list. The score, number thirty-seven of Watt’s career, also tied her with Aggie standout Heather Ragsdale for number nine on A&M’s list of player career goals.
Coming off a loss against BYU, Watt believed the high scoring night against UNLV was key in helping the team regain their confidence.
“I know that I’ve been struggling a lot this past year and the coaches and team have been helping me find myself again. Gaining those little goals off the little things I have been working hard on is going to help me gain my confidence back,” said Watt.
“I think as a whole, the team’s confidence has been going up. There were good goals all around tonight and for Tera Ziemer and Ásdís Halldórsdóttir to get their first goals of the season is great and I’m looking forward for more to come.”
After halftime, the Aggies did not falter. On a breakaway in the 62nd minute, Ally Watt tried to split the two center backs and ended up tangled with the goalie and defenders. After a pass from Watt, forward Ásdís Halldórsdóttir kicked one straight down the middle to put the Aggies up 4-0. The score is the first goal for the Iceland-native this season.
The Aggie defense continued their dominant season, shutting out the Rebels to earn their sixth shutout in seven games. The Aggies split time between goalkeepers in the match with Shantel Hutton and Olivia Ausmus each tending goal for half. Reigning SEC Freshman of the Week, Hutton continued her high standards of play and Ausmus looked sharp in her first outing, recording three saves.
Coming off a loss on the road, A&M head coach G Guerrieri was pleased with his team’s ability to rebound from disappointment and make adjustments to allow for better play, particularly on the offensive side of the ball.
“I feel like tonight is a better indicator of who we are, considering we were able to bounce back from a poor result where we got outplayed on the road,” said Guerrieri.
“I thought that tonight our forwards really came through on the things that we have talked about in the time since the BYU game. They were getting them back into their lanes and being able to open up more spaces for other people. The fact that we had goals coming from midfielders and goals from the forwards and a variety of goals tonight was a good indicator of what’s ahead.”
The Aggies will be back in action when they face off with Mississippi State on the road in Starkville on Thursday.