Texas A&M soccer extended its winning streak to five straight and is now unbeaten in its last six matches after a 3-0 shutout win over Kentucky in Lexington on Friday, Sept. 17. A&M’s record now stands at 5-2-1 this season as they’ve won three of those five by way of a shutout.
A&M head coach G Guerrieri said that opening conference play with a shutout win was big for the team and that they’ve continued to grow and learn over the last few weeks.
“Getting a 3-0 result here is big for the team moving forward,” Guerrieri said. “You can see this team continuing to get better from week to week. They learn lessons and they get better from lessons learned.”
The Aggies started quick with three goals from three different Aggies in the first half to take a 3-0 lead. Freshman forward Maile Hayes kicked off the scoring in the 16th minute, and just over ten minutes later sophomore midfielder Taylor Pounds found the back of the net on a penalty kick for A&M’s second goal.
Finally in the 40th minute, freshman forward Makhiya McDonald scored off an assist from junior forward/midfielder Jai Smith to give A&M its third and final goal of the evening. It was McDonald’s first career goal for the maroon and white.
Guerrieri said his team’s youth shined on Friday night and they did a great job of handling a hostile environment.
“I’m really pleased with how our young roster performed,” Guerrieri said. “They did a great job coming into a tough venue to play in the SEC.”
No scores were seen in the second half from either team, but the Aggies played stellar defense against the Wildcats with junior goalkeeper Kenna Caldwell saving a season-high of seven shots to keep A&M ahead.
Guerrieri said Caldwell’s leadership showed in the win by keeping the team’s defense in order as she made several clutch saves for the Aggies.
“I’m really proud of Kenna and her leadership out there,” Guerrieri said. “Her concentration was outstanding, and she made some big saves out there. She was also calm and poised and did a great job keeping our defense organized.”
The Aggies were more deliberate on offense with only eight shots to Kentucky’s 14, but the team’s attentiveness and defensive prowess were on point regardless, Guerrieri said. The Wildcats also owned the shot-on-goal advantage at 7-3 with corner kicks and fouls equal at three and eleven, respectively.
“I thought we defended really well and our concentration was super,” Guerrieri said.
Friday’s win was the seventh straight in program history over Kentucky dating back to 1999, as the Aggies own the all-time series 8-0-1. The maroon and white have also outscored the Wildcats 13-2 over the last three matches.
A&M looks to keep its winning streak alive against No. 13 Pepperdine this Sunday, Sept. 19 at Ellis Field. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. as the Aggies try to take the all-time series lead against the Waves.