The No. 23 Texas A&M soccer team took on the Utah Valley University Wolverines on Monday night at Ellis Field and came out victorious 1-0. The Aggies improve to 8-2-1 with the win, while the Wolverines fall to 4-9-0 with the loss.
The Aggies threatened to score in the first half on Utah Valley multiple times with no success. The first chance for A&M came in the fourth minute when UVU junior keeper Sarah Davis came out of the five-yard box and got caught in no-man’s land, as Aggie sophomore Ally Watt sailed a shot over the empty net. The Aggies ended up with 13 shots and seven corners as the first half ended scoreless.
“I thought that we did a good job at keeping possession,” head coach G Guerrieri said. “It came down to a little lack of quality and you’ve got to give Utah Valley a lot of credit, they’re a gritty, hard-working team, their goalkeeper played phenomenal.”
The second half went similarly to the first half in that the Aggies threatened to score multiple times until they found the back of a net on senior Haley Pounds’ penalty kick. The Aggie defense stepped up in the second half, as the Wolverines recorded eight shots in the first half, but just one in the second.
“The ball was played through and Haley realized she might be able to get onto it,” Guerrieri said. “She went in to win the ball, and as she went in, the goalkeeper comes in late and cleans her out, and it’s a clear-cut penalty.”
The Aggies finished the match with 24 shots, five saves, and an astounding 21 corner kicks, despite scoring their lone goal on a penalty kick. Utah Valley ended with nine shots, 11 saves, and three corners.
The Aggies will be back in action on Thursday as they welcome Alabama to Ellis Field. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.