COLLEGE STATION, Texas - For the first 45 minutes the game had all the makings of an upset story as Illinois State soccer went to the half tied at one with No. 7 Texas A&M. However, the Aggies netted three second half goals to put away the feisty Redbirds 4-1 at Ellis Field Sunday.
Things looked a bit grim early on as A&M scored four minutes and 24 seconds into the match on an Allie Bailey chip from six yards out. However, the resilient Redbirds didn't bat an eye, responding just a minute and nine seconds later. Rachel Tejada found space in the middle of the field and delivered a perfect ball to Dagny Olson on the left side of the box. Olson slipped it past A&M keeper, Renee McDermott, for her second goal of the season and Tejada's third assist. The goal seemed to put A&M on their heels for a bit, as an amped-up Redbirds team picked up the pace and looked to play balls long into the penalty box.
"I thought it was fantastic to respond the way we did," said head coach Drew Roff. "In this environment it's easy to get down on yourself, but we picked it up and equalized. That gave us a lot of momentum the rest of the half and I thought the first 45 minutes was tremendous."
With the match even at one, ISU shut down the Aggie attack time and time again. The Redbirds routinely cleared balls long to midfield or goalkeeper Aryn Newsom making saves. Newsom had made just six saves in the first three matches of the season due to her defense's dominance, but in her first test of the season she made five.
Following the halftime break, the Aggies netted a quick flurry of goals, scoring two in the first six minutes to make the score 3-1. ISU could never quite find their offensive rhythm after that and A&M stuck another goal in the 70th minute. Despite the three goals, the Redbirds looked calm and composed for much of the game. They were able to generate five corner kicks and held the ball in the attacking half for a good portion of the first half.
"We just seemed a little slow coming out of the half," said Roff. "I thought we could have come out better, but you have to give A&M credit. They were ready to go. The majority of the match I was pleased with the way we played and the 4-1 score is unfortunate because it looks like the handed it to us. In reality, for the most part it was an even, competitive match."
A&M held the advantage in shots (18-7) and corner kicks (6-5). The match was delayed 45 minutes due to lightning.
The loss drops ISU to 3-1 on the season and the Redbirds have a quick turnaround with a match at DePaul Wednesday. It will be the third match in seven days for ISU. Kickoff against DePaul is scheduled for 4 p.m. and will be broadcast live on GoRedbirds.com.
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