Soccer Falls 3-1 To A&M

Friday, November 8

San Antonio, Texas

TBA

Colorado

10-8-2

Texas A&M (Semifinal)

17-3-1

Colorado

Texas A&M

November 08, 2002 | Soccer

Box Score

By: CUBuffs.com

San Antonio - Freshman Tess Piete scored her first career goal in the 37th minute to knot the game at 1-1, but a late offensive surge with nine minutes to play by the third-ranked and top-seeded Texas A&M Aggies would send the Buffs back to Boulder on the short end of 3-1 Big 12 Tournament semifinal score Friday night at the Blossom Athletic Complex.

"Unfortunately the score won't reflect what kind of game it was," said head coach Bill Hempen. "It was highly competitive to the bitter end, which was great for our program."

In the Tournament's first semifinal game, third-seeded Nebraska upset second-seeded and fifth-ranked Texas, 2-1, when the Huskers' Christine Latham scored the game winner on a breakaway in the 91st minute of the overtime game to advance Nebraska to its sixth title game, setting up their fourth conference championship match against the Aggies.

It would take Texas A&M just 5 minutes and 21 seconds to score the game's first goal, as a Jessica Martin free kick from 25 yards out in front of the goal was deflected by Kristen Strutz whose header went over the left shoulder of CU keeper Sara Erskine on the Aggies' first shot of the game. The goal was the second quickest by a CU opponent this season, trailing an Ole Miss goal in the second minute of play back in September.

The Aggies nearly made it a 3-0 contest when Emma Smith's break-a-away was snuffed by Erskine, but the rebound fell into the possession of Heather Ragsdale whose shot was blocked in the 14th minute. Two minutes later a low Ragsdale header from the penalty kick stripe sent Erskine diving to her right for the save.

An A&M dominated half, the Buffs didn't get their first shot off until the 22nd minute when Jen Thais ripped a pass from Tiffany Booth from 25 yards out that was blocked by Jessica Martin just inside box.

The Buffs' fourth shot of the contest nearly tied the match in the 36th minute when Big 12 Rookie of the Year Fran Munnelly worked her way through the Aggie defense and her shot from the top of the box sailed over A&M keeper Kati Jo Spisak (the only other freshman in the league joining Munnelly on the All-Big 12 first team) and deflected off the crossbar sending the ball back into play. Less than a minute later an A&M foul on Shannon Labhart just outside the box set up a Fran Munnelly free kick which landed in front of Spisak and a scramble in front of the goal resulted in a point-blank shot from Colorado freshman Tess Piete who would score her first career goal, on her second shot of the season, and knot the game at 1-1.

"It was the best moment of my freshman year," said Piete following the game. "The ball bounced off Tricia Regan on the right side and I said, wow, I have a shot... and I scored! It was one of those moments when you know you're wide open and you know it was going to be a goal."

The halftime result would be identical to the teams' Big 12 Tournament 2000 meeting when A&M scored early, Colorado tied it late in the first half, but would fall 3-1 in the Tournament's opening round.

After the early first-half domination by A&M, Colorado would actually go into halftime with the advantage in shots (6-4), having taken the last six shots of the opening stanza.

Texas A&M came out of the intermission on fire as their first shot of the second half from the left side of the penalty box was just feet in front of Erskine and continued right of the net in the 47th minute of the game. They kept the pressure on the Colorado defense when an Aggie cross by Emma Smith was kicked out of bounds by a CU defender setting up an Aggie corner kick. The corner, taken by Juli Goin, was snatched in mid-air in front of the net in a crowd by Erksine in the 51st minute. Less than a minute later another Aggie attack found Smith with the ball in the box, who faked CU's Aimee Bugay and her shot went just wide left of the left post and CU's Meghan Swanzy. The Buffs' defensive line went under attack again in the 59th minute when a Ragsdale cross, meant for Lindsey Woodard, was intercepted and cleared by Swanzy in the box.

At this point of the match, the Aggies had outshot the Buffs 10-8, 6-2 in the first 14 minutes of the second half.

With Texas now out of the title game, a now Colorado-partial crowd got behind the Buffs when the Colorado defense got a reprieve on a counterattack and a Nicholle Taylor serve to Fran Munnelly just feet into the box was as good as a shot on goal before A&M's Strutz played the spoiler on the play in the 62nd minute.

The Buffs would take another shot at Spisak in the 68th minute when a Munnelly cross from the right side nearly made it into the far left 90 and sent Spisak flying to protect the net.

Erskine would come up big again in the 76th and 77th minutes when she came off her line to challenge A&M's Emma Smith and come away with the ball on a sliding save, and repeat that effort on a Ragsdale header. Colorado answered with a shot of their own when an Alyssa Burgess pass was deflected by Munnelly in the 79th minute and caught Spisak off guard following the ball inches off the right post.

The Aggies broke the stalemate and took the 2-1 lead in the 81st minute when Ragsdale got a shot off a Strutz pass and the ball worked its way behind Erskine who, on her hands and knees, couldn't get to the ball as it crossed the goal line. The Aggies wouldn't let up and took two more shots before the Buffs could work their way back to their side of the field.

The effort would be short-lived as A&M got possession just past center field with just under four minutes in the game and Ragsdale would battle CU's Bugay on the near sideline before challenging Darci Smerchek to a brief game of one-on-one in the box before dishing the ball off to a waiting Smith on the left side who beat Erskine to put the Aggies up 3-1.

"Up until the last five minutes I felt that the game was neck and neck," said Erskine. "We were in it most of the second half, and had we scored (on the Fran Munnelly shot) just 30 seconds before they scored their second goal the game would have had a different outcome. The fact that they scored when they did gave them all the momentum."

Having gone unbeaten in seven of their last nine matches, Hempen isn't so sure that the 2002 season isn't over for the Buffs. The 64-team bracket for next week's NCAA Tournament will be announced Monday afternoon from Indianapolis.

"I certainly think that beating Missouri has put us into the thought process," explained Hempen. "I don't know if it was enough at the end of the season, but it sure gave the people who make those decisions something to think about."