The stretch run towards tournament play began with a 3-1 victory for the No. 8 Texas A&M soccer team over the Auburn Tigers, improving their record to 12-2-1 with four games remaining in the regular season.
The victory brings A&M to 6-1-0 in conference play, matching the record of SEC opponent and conference leading Florida Gators. The Gators defeated the Aggies 1-0 in October at Ellis Field. It is the only home loss the Aggies have suffered all year.
It took the Aggies five shots before erasing the 0-0 tie Friday night at Ellis Field. Assisted by Karlie Mueller on a front-flipping throw in, the ball bounced off the crossbar before senior Annie Kunz fired off a successful shot for her fourth goal of the season.
“I thought it was going in,” Kunz said of the goal. “It just kind of fell into place and I was able to put it in. I give all the credit to Karlie [Mueller] and her flip throw.”
Bianca Brinson doubled the lead to 2-0 after taking a shot from the right side of the penalty box that Auburn failed to properly clear. Less than 10 minutes later, the lead inflated to 3-0 when Janae Cousineau sent in a header from six yards out on a Stephanie Mahlerbe chip.
In the 40^th minute, Auburn registered a goal on a successful penalty kick by sophomore Brooke Ramsier, number four of her 2014 campaign.
Heading into halftime, the Aggies held a 12-6 shot advantage over Auburn. A&M goalkeeper Renee McDermott registered one save before giving way to Jordan Day for the second half.
“We knew this was going to be a physical game,” A&M head coach G Guerierri said. “It’s a style Auburn chooses to play and it’s tough to play against. I told them at halftime I was really pleased with their toughness in the last 12 yards. All three [of our goals] were scored on effort and being able to beat somebody who is determined to stop you and putting the ball in the back of the net.”
The goal count remained the same in the second half as neither team was able to score. Auburn managed just two shots in the final 45 minutes of play.
Overall, the Aggies held a 19-8 advantage on shots Friday night as well as shots on goal, 9-2. Kunz had a team-high four shot attempts followed by Brinson, Allie Bailey and Kelley Monogue with three each. Auburn Goalie Alyse Scott registered six saves for the Tigers in front of a crowd of 3,021.
The Aggies next travel to Starkville, Mississippi for a Sunday showdown with the Mississippi State Bulldogs.