Texas A&M rebounds at home by blanking TCU on Thursday night, 2-0
Mojo: Back.
Win column: Secured.
Thanks to impeccable defense, Texas A&M (3-2) dominated TCU (4-2) in a 2-0 victory on Thursday night at Ellis Field. This marks the Aggies' 14th win against TCU, bringing their all-time advantage to 14-3.
“It feels great,” senior forward MaKhiya McDonald said. “We were always one goal shy [against TCU in previous years]. We were always just so close. To get the 2-0 win and come out with that, it was just really exciting, really fun. You can see that we put in the work these last couple of weeks.”
A&M graduate midfielder Taylor Pounds made the night’s opening statement with an in-the-box shot just two minutes into the match.
However, the Ags quickly found themselves in another low opportunity first half, generating a mere four shots.
“We knew coming out in this game, it was not going to be easy, and we had to bring the energy from the very start,” freshman goalkeeper Sydney Fuller said. “We reinforced that throughout the whole entire day. This is a game that if we bring the energy, we can win. And that was so reinforced. We showed that out in the game today.”
Key differences from the loss at Baylor last Friday were shown as the Maroon & White were able to get in the box and capitalize on Horned Frog mistakes.
Previous matches showed lengthy shots, up to 30 yards from goal. Pounds' attempt and a shot by senior midfielder Mia Pante in the 15th were taken closer to goal, with Pante also in the box.
Along with this, attempts by A&M freshman defender Bella James and junior midfielder Georgia Leb took advantage of TCU blunders. These followed a corner kick and penalty kick, respectively.
“It was getting our mojo back and getting ourselves going; reminders that sometimes you learn the most in losses,” A&M head coach G Guerrieri said. “Last game in Waco was one that we'd like to flush, but flush after we take all the pieces that we want to learn from.
“Movement in the box is one of the things that we talked about, being able to make it difficult for us to be defended when we're trying to put the ball in the back of the net.”
A&M’s defense proved superior in the first half, allowing no shots. TCU’s lone first-half note was a yellow card issued to senior forward Lauren Memoly.
“I want to give all credit to my back line,” Fuller said. “I have, I think, one of the best back lines in the country. We're constantly talking to each other throughout the game. We have each other's cover. We have each other's backs all the time. Yeah, balls are going to get in. That's part of the game. That's part of soccer. But knowing that I have such a strong back line that I can work with and there's such a strong sense of camaraderie, it's comforting back there as a goalkeeper.”
After 45 minutes, both teams returned to the pitch, eager to score.
And early in the second half, the Aggies broke through.
“We thought that our intensity was great when we didn't have the ball, but then all of a sudden, we kept giving the ball back in the first half,” Guerrieri said. “We had outshot them 4-0 in the first half, but none of our shots were on frame.
“It was just a matter of when we get the ball, let's keep it. And when we get the ball, and we're going to get chances. Can we do something about putting the ball on frame?”
The answer: A resounding “YES!”
The half opened with an immediate attempt by TCU graduate midfielder Sara Brocious in the 46th minute.
The Aggies kept their feet on the gas, following up with a junior midfielder Sydney Becerra attempt in the 47th minute.
Getting between two TCU defenders, McDonald made it 1-0 with a rocket of a shot in the 53rd minute.
“A lot of people know that I can shoot with my right,” McDonald said. “[I’ve been working on] faking it, then cutting in and being able to curve it back close to something.”
Moments later, TCU threatened, but impressive communication and teamwork turned the Frogs away. A shot by freshman defender Evie Baker and junior Grace Coppinger were both saved by Fuller and A&M’s backline.
“All week at practice, we were focusing on getting close to the ball and not letting people take a shot,” Pante said. “That's where you saw those blocked shots coming from. Not just getting there but applying pressure. That doesn't mean just this. You have to get there so you can't get a shot off. And that's what we did today. We did not let them have a second out there.”
Pante extended the Aggies lead to 2-0 in the 59th, securing the win with a one-on-one shot against freshman goalkeeper Olivia Geller.
“It was a great ball from (Andersen Williams), and I just was like, ‘Run Mia,’” Pante said. “I picked my head up, and I was like, ‘Be calm, don't smash it, just get it in the back of the net,’ and it kind of just went in.”
TCU continued to push but to no avail as Fuller claimed another clean sheet in her fifth collegiate match.
“We have a freshman in goal, and you can't even tell she's a freshman,” McDonald said. “This is her fifth game of playing, and it's just really comforting to know that we have someone who's a freshman who's comfortable and confidently talking, coming out of goal, and just being there for all of us.”
Mojo intact, A&M continues a two-game homestand on Sunday evening against Louisiana Tech (2-1-3). Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT.