A constant barrage from start to finish, the No. 17 Aggies throttled No. 16 Rutgers, 4-1, Friday at Ellis Field after A&Ms constant pressure became too much for the Scarlet Knights.
The Aggies never let off the gas but were given their fair share of adversity from early in the match. With A&M already flirting with double-digit shots, the Scarlet Knights shotless for roughly a quarter of the game would score on their first quality break.
Rutgers temporary 1-0 lead, however, would be as close as the school got to knocking off A&M in College Station. A few key substitutions for the Aggies, particularly sophomore standout Kelly Monogue, would prove lethal to the Scarlet Knights chances of survival.
One of the things we talked about is we know we have a talented team, its a matter of coming out and showing that desire that were going to take care of whatever we have to do to win, A&M head coach G. Guerrieri said. They get one shot and it goes in off the crossbar on a missed clear by us. That was disappointing but I was really pleased by the response of our players.
Monogue would be a key reason why the Aggies were able to rebound so quickly. By first-halfs end, she would tally on two goals and thrust the momentum back in A&Ms favor. The Aggies never looked back.
This win was really good for us. In the long run it will help us with seeding in the NCAA tournament, Monogue said. It’s always good to beat a ranked team and get our confidence up.
The second half would see the Aggies pull away for good. A successful free kick from sophomore Allie Bailey and a quick strike by sophomore Annie Kunz nailed the coffin shut. A&M finished the day with 20 shots to Rutgers 10, giving the opposition little room to breathe.
Guerrieri said despite the result, he knows Rutgers was a worthy early-season foe.
Rutgers is a great team. They’re having a great season. They’ve had some real good wins. They beat Ohio State. They came in here undefeated. They’re nationally ranked, Guerrieri said. We respected them a lot coming in because of the talent they had on their team. It just happened to be a good night for us.