Back home in the Lone Star State, No. 12 Texas A&M (5-1-1) finds success in the first game of a three game homestand, defeating the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (4-2-0) by a score of 2-1 Thursday night at Ellis Field.
The first goal came when junior Karlie Mueller located Meghan Streight in the fourth minute to put the Aggies ahead 1-0. Streight sent a header past Eagles goalkeeper Brittany Brown from six yards out to claim the first goal of her senior campaign.
“It always helps scoring early,” Streight said. “It helps us relax and we are able to play and get the ball down and do what we do best. We kept going and kept playing our game.”
In the 13^th minute, Eagles forward Shannen Wacker connected on her only shot of the first half, sending a shot past Aggie goalie Renee McDermott to tie the game.
McDermott had one save on the night.
The A&M offense spent a lot of time near Florida Gulf Coast’s goal in the first half, getting off 14 shots compared to the Eagles three. Freshman Mikaela Harvey, sophomore Grace Wright and seniors Shea Groom and Kelley Monogue all had shots on goal in the first half
The second half started with an early score from Monogue with help from Harvey and senior Annie Kunz in the 48^th minute. The goal, Monogue’s team-leading seventh of the season, found the left netting and put the Aggies ahead by a score of 2-1.
Overall, the Aggies held a 8-0 advantage on corner kicks and a 22-5 advantage on shots. The Eagles had 11 fouls compared to A&M’s five on the night.
“We love playing in front of the 12^th Man” Streight said. “They support us so much. We couldn’t win and we wouldn’t be as successful as we are without them.”
Head coach G Guerrieri and his team have won thirteen consecutive games at Ellis Field, good for the fifth longest home winning streak in program history.
“It’s good to be home,” Guerrieri said. “As far as keeping possession of the ball, it was the best we have looked all season. I was pleased with the way our midfield played, both goals we scored were quality goals.”
The Aggies face off against Marquette Sunday at 7:00 p.m.. It will be the last game before conference play kicks off next week against Tennessee.