The Aggie soccer team secured the Texas A&M Invitational Sunday afternoon with a 1-0 victory over St. Marys at Ellis Field. Following the take down of No. 16 Rutgers 4-1 on Friday, A&M was able to knock off the Gaels with a stunning late game goal.
Over the course of the matchup, the Aggies dominated on both offense and defense, leading in shots (28-5), shots on goal (12-3) and corner kicks (8-2) while allowing St. Marys no attempts through 61 minutes.
With just seven and a half minutes left, however, A&M broke the deadlock when forward Allie Bailey diverted Jayne Eadies 10-yard shot into the back of the net, nailing down the lone score of the game.
A goal is a goal, Texas A&M head coach G Guerrieri said following the win. It was one of those days where their keeper was getting on everything and we knew if we could get one in the back of the net that we could get the win.
The Aggies Annie Kunz rocketed a shot off the goal post with two minutes remaining, the close miss representing her teams offensive frustration throughout the game.
Khayla Jones, the Gaels goaltender, held off A&Ms advances in the first half, saving all four shots on goal including an impressive tip of Catalina Clavijos strike over the crossbar. Continued pressure in the second half, though, helped the Aggies register a goal on Jones.
Oppositely, Aggie keeper Jordan Day notched three saves in the shutout, relying mainly on the airtight defense in her lax stint protecting the net.
One thing we can definitely take away from todays game is the defensive play, Guerrieri continued. We trusted the defense which allowed us to bring more players up on the attack later in the game.
The Aggies, who hosted the invitational, were able to capture six of the 11 slots on the all-tournament team including MVP Allie Bailey, who scored in both the Rutgers and St. Marys games.
Star forward Kelley Monogue along with midfielder Meghan Streight, goaltender Jordan Day and defenders Rachel Lenz and Lyndsey Gnatzig closed out A&Ms honors.
The Aggies (4-1) match up at home next against No. 11 Long Beach State on Friday, hoping to close out their first of their final two non-conference opponents before moving on to league play at LSU on Sept. 14.