Aggies collapse in second half, Tigers win

       After a good second half performance in its 2-0 victory over Iowa State, it was the second half that proved to be the demise of the Texas A&M women's soccer team on Sunday. The Aggies suffered their first loss in 23 Big 12 regular season games by falling at Missouri 5-4 in overtime.        After taking a 4-1 lead into halftime, the No. 4 Aggies gave up three goals in the second half and one in overtime as the Tigers (7-8-1, 1-4-1 Big 12) won their first Big 12 contest this season.        Missouri junior forward Melissa Peabody scored the game winner 4:26 into overtime. Peabody scored three goals in the match, and the five Tiger goals matched the previous season total of goals allowed by the Aggies (11-2-2, 4-1-2).        The scoring began in the ninth minute as Aggie junior defender Amanda Burke made good on a penalty kick after junior forward Emma Smith was dragged down inside the penalty area.        Just 24 seconds later, Tiger freshman midfielder Elyse Nikonchuck scored the equalizer and erased the Aggies' chances for a fourth straight shutout.        Smith answered in the 21st minute as she knocked in a header off a serve from freshman defender Annie Burnett. Freshman forward Kat Krambeer then scored two consecutive goals in the 28th and 41st minutes of the match. The second half quickly became the Melissa Peabody show as the Missouri junior scored just six minutes into the second half. Peabody's goal marked the first time the Aggies have given up more than one goal in a match all season.        Nikonchuck added her second goal of the match with just 12 minutes remaining to pull the Tigers within a goal, and Peabody tied the score at four.        The loss comes on the heels of an impressive 2-0 victory over Iowa State at the Aggie Soccer Complex in which the Aggies kept possession in the Cyclone defensive zone for almost the entire match. "I thought our first 20 minutes (against Iowa State) were some of the best that I've seen all year," said A&M coach G. Guerrieri. "It's awful hard for them to score when they're constantly pinned back against their goal line."        The loss leaves the Aggies in third place as they head into a weekend where they face No. 16 Nebraska and No. 12 Colorado, the two teams ahead of them in the Big 12 standings, at the Aggie Soccer Complex.        To successfully defend their Big 12 Championship, the Aggies must beat not only both Nebraska and Colorado, but also arch-rival Texas in Austin in the last match of the regular season.

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