Soccer splits weekend games

The sixth-ranked Aggie soccer team welcomed both Purdue and UTSA to the Aggie Soccer Stadium this weekend. By the end of Sunday, A&M had suffered its first defeat of the season and responded with its second shutout of 2009.

Friday, the Aggies hosted an undefeated Purdue team in front of 6,589 fans. The unranked Boilermakers shocked the Aggies with a late goal to give them a 3-2 upset.

"Friday night was one of those nights where lightning just strikes," said head coach G. Guerrieri.

Purdue scored from nearly 60 yards on the opening kickoff and stunned A&M fans. The Aggies responded with back-to-back goals minutes later from senior Amber Gnatzig and sophomore Bri Young.

Purdue answered back in the 18th minute, and the teams shared a 2-2 tie until the closing moments.

In the 77th minute, after an onslaught of missed chances from the young Aggie squad, Purdue's Vanessa Ibewuike got free inside the six-yard box and found the back of the net to give the Boilermakers a lead that they didn't relinquish.

The Aggies out-shot Purdue 19-8 during the match, while Boilermaker senior goalkeeper Jenny Bradfisch outplayed two A&M goalies, saving eight shots to the Aggies' zero.

Sunday, the girls returned to action against UTSA. A&M outshot the Roadrunners 44-4, and got back on the winning track with a 3-0 victory.

"Today was very businesslike," Guerrieri said. "It's nice to have a win again. We're a young team and every game is a learning experience."

In the 19th minute, junior Rachel Shipley scored her first goal of the season with a bullet from just inside the box. Freshmen Kim Castleberry and Catalina Clavijo both added their first collegiate goals in the 51st and 83rd minutes to put the game out of reach.

The Aggies hit the road this weekend as they travel to California to face a very tough Cal-Berkeley squad along with St. Mary's College.

Shipley said that even with a victory fresh in the players' minds, the team has a lot of work to do.

"We need to work on finishing our opportunities," Shipley said. " We have to start winning the 50-50 balls and start focusing on our intensity."

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