Friday evening at the Aggie Soccer Complex in College Station was pretty cold for the fans that were used to high-80’s temperatures. But there was one thing that was much colder than the chilly goose bump air: the A&M defense in a 10-0 shutout against Texas State in the first round of the NCAA soccer tournament.
“The best defense is a strong attack,” said A&M head coach G Guerrieri, whose team recorded nine shutouts during the regular season. “Our defense has greatly improved over the course of the season. The girls are defending well, playing well in transition and we’ve been peaking at the right times.”
The Aggie defense kept the ball away from its net for the majority of the night, allowing the Bobcats to only attempt 4 shots on the goal (all of which came in the first half). The A&M offense was clicking just as well, firing 31 attempts at the Bobcats’ net and dropping in 10, including four in a four minute span. A total of seven Aggies had a ball slip into the net, including two by sophomore Suzzette Devloo.
“Their speed and their ability to go through the midfield was very good,” said Texas State head coach Kat Conner. “(Guerrieri)’s team came ready to play, didn’t take us lightly and just went to town.”
A&M will meet Illinois for the second round match up on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at the Aggie Soccer Complex in College Station.