The No. 21 Texas A&M women’s soccer team had a deep run into the playoffs but fell short 5-0 at the hands of No. 2 Florida State in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
After scoring two goals in the first half, the Seminoles looked dangerous but there was still hope for the Aggies. The Seminoles switched into another gear in the second half and scored three goals.
Florida State (18-2-4) dominated the Aggies defensively allowing them to only one shot throughout the whole match.
A&M (17-7-2) struggled to get anything going offensively. The Aggies were without dynamic midfielder Mikaela Harvey after she was sent off against Ole Miss.
The Seminoles opened the scoring In the 19th minute when Megan Connolly fired a shot past Rice from 20 yards out.
15 minutes later Florida State doubled its lead when Michaela Hahn got on the end of a pass from freshman Kaycie Tillman and beat Rice to make it 2-0.
Senior forward Cheyna Williams all but ended A&M’s chances in the 52nd minute when she found the back of the net. Elin Jensen then scored two more goals in the 69th and 75th minutes.
A&M head coach G Guerrieri talked to 12thman.com after the match and said the better team won the game.
“They [Florida State] went about their business in a professional manner and had a bit too much for us to handle on this day,” Guerrieri said. ”They’re one of the more patient and tactically gifted teams that we’ve come across in many years of NCAA tournament play, so today I simply tip my hat to and say that we wish them all the best as they go forward try to repeat as National Champions.”
The Aggies exceeded expectations during the season in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year. Guerrieri said he is proud of his team for what they accomplished as such a young team this season.
“For us, it was a heck of a run, and a season to be proud of,” Guerrieri said. “This is a young team that, I don’t think people gave much credit to, and maybe didn’t expect us to get far in this championship tournament. I think the run we made to get to the Elite Eight was one of the most challenging we’ve ever faced and they weren’t fazed. For most of the year, we were a team that was young and unafraid. For much of the game today, I thought that we played afraid.”
