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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 1998)
19 $8 : Sect: •attalion Page 7 • Monday, September 7, 1998 aliant Aggies take Florida to OT Soccer team focuses on New Mexico game J.N inspr f MICHAEL TAGLIENTI orce iheissik T he Battalion ions to new; apply need No. 9 Texas A&M Soccer J.N. teams. 1-1) lost to the No. 4 Flori- It still usu. ors (2-0) by the score of 1- 0 in overtime at the Aggie Soccer Complex. A rowdy crowd of 1,043 specta tors were treated to a battle be tween two top 10 teams that had a playoff atmosphere. In a physical game that includ ed a total of 31 fouls, six yellow cards and one red card, the A&M soccer team played the No. 4 team in the country to a 0-0 draw for the first 90 minutes of regulation. Both teams played inconsis tently in the first half, with neither team able to establish any kind of sustained offense. In the second half, the Aggies’ midfield dominated play, creating numerous scoring opportunities. Despite their domination of play, the Aggies were unable to capitalize on their scoring oppor tunities and the game went into sudden death overtime. In overtime, A&M continued to play well and seemed to have control of the game. A momentary defensive lapse let Florida’s All-American Danielle Fo- topoulos get behind the defense with the ball, and she took a shot on goal from point blank range. Aggie ju nior goalie Melanie Wilson made an ex ceptional save and the threat appeared to be over. Wilson then tried to pass the ball to a teammate, but Fotopou- los got to the ball first and took a shot on goal, scoring and win ning the game 1-0 in the sixth minute of overtime. Despite the loss. Coach G. Guer- rieri said he thought the Aggies played well. “I thought that our girls did a good job especially for as young of a team as we are,” Guerrieri said. “To come in and be able to play in front of a big crowd and be able to play with a lot of pressure, 1 was pretty pleased.” Guerrieri said the Aggies would use this as a learning experience. “I thought it was a very enter taining game,” Guerrieri said. “I thought both teams were deserving of the win. It was an unfortunate lightning bolt that struck at the end. That is one of the reasons Fo- topolous is one of the top scorers in the country. She is very oppor tunistic and causes problems just by her presence on the field. “I thought that even in the over time we dominated all but 10 sec onds of the period. This is a good learning experience for us and it shows us some things that we can make some improvements on.” Senior defender Emily Elias said the team will use this game to build off of. “I think this game was a great game,” Elias said. “We played great, worked well as a team, and we will just build off it and try to score faster next time.” Wilson showed why she is consid ered one of the top five goal keepers in the nation. She made great saves through out the game and held an explo sive Florida offense scoreless for 95 minutes. Guerrieri said that Wilson kept the Aggies in the game. “Melanie had a great game,” Guerrieri said. “She had a great game and she kept us in the game.” The Aggies’ next game is at 7 p.m. Monday against the Univer sity of New Mexico at the Aggie Soccer Complex. BY MICHAEL TAGLIENTI The Battalion Senior leadership on a team can mean the difference between a champion and just another com petitive team. The Texas A&M Soccer Team is learning on the fly as they continue the defense of their Big 12 Conference title with a young team devoid of four se niors from last year. The 9th-ranked Aggies (1-1) will take on the University of New Mexico Lobos at 7 p.m. at the Ag gie Soccer Complex. The Aggies lost their all-time leading scorer off last year’s team when Bryn Blalack completed her eligibility. The team has used an influx of freshman talent to offset the loss of Blalack. The Lobos can relate to the Ag gies dilemma having lost six letter winners from last year’s squad in cluding the team’s leading scorer with the graduation of All-WAC forward Laurie Hegedorn. Hegedorn led the Lobos to a 15-5 record last season and a sec ond place finish in the WAC Mountain Division. After the loss Friday, Coach G. Guerrieri said that the team will be ready for the game against the Lobos. “Monday night we will be ready to go again,” he said. “We will be ready to play against New Mexico.” The New Mexico game will mark the end of the three-game home stand for A&M. The Aggies lead the all-time series 4-0. he monitor« online, visiting: >ratories andis telicopter lore Bui even i raq's ban also ng because a )ursiie leads ibout possil y at new hief U.N tas complaiiK! Scott Ritte. or who r cathing 'Jut ions’ ions, said Ira: utting theg section progs “There is s rontrol Right now,? 1 neaningfulirsa Ritter accuse ions anti theli efusing to chi- )f creating a:: ion like the vhen Iraq lasts ipection systr Greg McReynolds/Thk Battalion personaL^&Mjg Emily Elias (No. 3, pictured) fights a Florida player for a 'ULr in the Friday night contest between the top-ranked teams. Greg McReynolds/Tmk Battalion A&M’s Ashley Fendley (No. 16, left) dribbles around a Florida player, passing to Emily Elias (No 3, right). A&M will face New Mexico Monday. “I thought that both teams were deserving of the win. It was an un fortunate lightning bolt that struck at the end” -G. GUERRIERI A&M SOCCER COACH •Iviile- < Banking 3f tfaftensEank mean's... lit oofragesos convenience/ If you’re in college that means you’re probably crunched for cash-and time. Our NationsBank Student Checking Account is easy on your wallet and easy on your schedule. www.TheMartiolt Access/ Why hassle with carrying a checkbook? With a NationsBank CheckCard, you can get your cash at ATMs and make purchases anywhere you see the Visa™ symbol. loin the ; The MarM' 1313 409,7)U ; s&m$! limit l ? Easy to open, inexpensive to maintain and ready for you, now! And remember...when you use your NationsBank ATM card at any NationsBank ATM location there’s never a fee! fHE Bat* Classtf Advert NationsBank • Effect! To find out how we can help you manage all your college expenses, visit one of 3 College Station hanking centers today. 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