Spring Break
Sweet
Behind senior Laura Grace Robinson, the Aggies defeat Washington 3-1 to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.
By: David Arno
Issue date: 11/17/08 Section: News
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In the physical contest, the Huskies and the Aggies combined for 25 fouls in the game. Washington controlled possession of the ball during much of the first half, keeping the Aggies on the defensive.
A&M did not take control offensively until the 27th minute when a foul that resulted in a yellow card set up a free kick by freshman defender Becca Herrera. Herrera sent the ball inside the penalty box where freshman forward Raven Tatum headed it out to senior midfielder Laura Grace Robinson. Robinson punched the ball into the net to give the Aggies a 1-0 lead.
"I saw [the ball] going back-post, and I was in the middle so I figured that someone would be there to hit it back across. Raven [Tatum] did a good job getting her head on it," Robinson said. "It's something we work on a lot so it was nice to pull off something you practice a lot"
A&M was more energized in the second half, taking 10 shots and five corner kicks. The Aggies' scoring continued when freshman Rachel Balaguer scored the first goal of her career in the 57th minute off a corner kick by Herrera.
Sophomore forward Whitney Hooper kicked a shot into the right side of the net for the final Aggie goal in the 69th minute. She was assisted by senior defender Micah Stephens and Robinson.
The Huskies managed a score on an own goal off a corner kick by junior midfielder Nikki Murray in the 80th minute for the final score of the game.
"During the second half, I think our players were a little disappointed that we didn't get more out of it, but again, Washington was outstanding and the goalkeeper made some good saves," Guerrieri said. "They never gave up and they got the goal on the corner kick and kept battling the whole time."
The Aggies ended the game with 14 shots and seven corner kicks, while Washington had 13 shots and five corner kicks.
"We faced a big challenge today, playing a good Texas A&M team on their home field," said Washington Head Coach Lesle Gallimore. "I've always had a tremendous amount of respect for [Guerrieri] and the job that they do here, and with the tradition and everything that A&M stands for, we knew the environment would be difficult for our kids. I thought our team did a tremendous job standing up to it. A&M is the kind of team that in their attack, once they're confident and smell blood in the water, they kind of get after it."
With five saves in the game, sophomore goalkeeper Kelly Dyer got her 15th win of the 2008 season. Washington freshman goalkeeper Kari Davidson finished the game with one save.
"I thought it was a very good game. To go up 3-0 makes it look like it was a different game than what it really was," Guerrieri said. "I thought Washington came out and really for the first 25 minutes, had us on our heels a little bit."
The Aggies advanced to the Sweet 16 where they will face No. 8 Florida in Gainsville, Fla., during the upcoming weekend. The winner of the match will take on the winner of No. 4 North Carolina and Illinois.
A&M's bracket
The Aggies will play the Florida Gators at James G. Pressly Stadium in Gainsville, Fla. on Nov. 21, 22 or 23. The winner will play North Carolina at Fetzer Field in Chapel Hill, N.C. or Illinois at home.
Texas A&M's all-time record against other teams in regional bracket
No. 4 N. Carolina - 1-10
No. 9 Florida - 3-1
Illinois - 1-1
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