Spring Break
Aggies bow out in first round of Big 12 soccer tournament
A&M finishes without Big 12 hardware for first time in four years, falls to Kansas 4-2
By: Jack Molitor
Issue date: 11/6/08 Section: Sports
SAN ANTONIO - The Texas A&M soccer team made an uncharacteristic and unceremonious exit from the first round of the Big 12 championship tournament Wednesday at Blossom Soccer Stadium. The No. 2 seed Aggies were upset 4-2 by the No. 7 seed Kansas Jayhawks.
"We feel a little bit inconsistent at times, but when we've been on, we've been really good," said Kansas Head Coach Mark Francis. "The character of this group is amazing, and it's not just beating A&M, it's beating A&M after Missouri absolutely spanked us last week."
The young Aggies were unable to produce anything offensively until it was too late. They were overwhelmed by the fiery Jayhawks and junior forward Shannon McCabe, who had two goals.
"We're disappointed in our performance, especially at the start of the game," said A&M Head Coach G Guerrieri. "We gave up a soft goal to start, and a lot of soft goals today. There were some great shots by KU, finding some spots in there, but in the critical part of the field, between the goals, we didn't do a good enough job."
The Jayhawks, who handed A&M its first Big 12 conference loss earlier in the season, took the lead almost immediately and did not let up on the favored Aggies. Kansas absorbed two yellow cards and almost got a red card. Monica Dolinsky, a forward for Kansas, threw a fist at A&M freshman Beth West in the 54th minute, drawing a vehement reaction from the Aggies. Dolinsky was yellow carded.
"I just think Beth's a good player and she plays a lot like I do," Dolinsky said. "I think our tempers just flared and got the best of us."
McCabe was the first to light up the scoreboard. In the 10th minute, Dolinsky cleared the ball from a cluster of players near the goal. McCabe was left open and punched the ball past A&M goalkeeper Kelly Dyer. Dolinsky had two assists in the game. It was the only offense in the first half for either team.
"I think we all came into this game on the same page with intensity," McCabe said. "Especially after the loss we had to Missouri. We had nothing to lose. We just came in with that mindset and went at them."
"We feel a little bit inconsistent at times, but when we've been on, we've been really good," said Kansas Head Coach Mark Francis. "The character of this group is amazing, and it's not just beating A&M, it's beating A&M after Missouri absolutely spanked us last week."
The young Aggies were unable to produce anything offensively until it was too late. They were overwhelmed by the fiery Jayhawks and junior forward Shannon McCabe, who had two goals.
"We're disappointed in our performance, especially at the start of the game," said A&M Head Coach G Guerrieri. "We gave up a soft goal to start, and a lot of soft goals today. There were some great shots by KU, finding some spots in there, but in the critical part of the field, between the goals, we didn't do a good enough job."
The Jayhawks, who handed A&M its first Big 12 conference loss earlier in the season, took the lead almost immediately and did not let up on the favored Aggies. Kansas absorbed two yellow cards and almost got a red card. Monica Dolinsky, a forward for Kansas, threw a fist at A&M freshman Beth West in the 54th minute, drawing a vehement reaction from the Aggies. Dolinsky was yellow carded.
"I just think Beth's a good player and she plays a lot like I do," Dolinsky said. "I think our tempers just flared and got the best of us."
McCabe was the first to light up the scoreboard. In the 10th minute, Dolinsky cleared the ball from a cluster of players near the goal. McCabe was left open and punched the ball past A&M goalkeeper Kelly Dyer. Dolinsky had two assists in the game. It was the only offense in the first half for either team.
"I think we all came into this game on the same page with intensity," McCabe said. "Especially after the loss we had to Missouri. We had nothing to lose. We just came in with that mindset and went at them."
Be sure to include your name, major, and class year. Submissions without this information are subject to deletion.
By submitting a comment, you agree to thebatt.com's Terms of Use.
You may also send a Mail Call to The Battalion at mailcall@thebatt.com