Battalion
Sports
Page 15 • Tuesday, September 14, 1999
With World Cup play under her belt,
Moore brings experience to AdrM Soccer Team
Story by Jason Lincoln • Photo Illustration by Kimber Huff and Guy Rogers
the world
"■3JC* h
he 1999 season shows a more experi
enced Texas A&M Soccer Team. No
longer can the Aggies be described as
young or inexperienced. The roster as
a whole features players with experi
ence under their belt that can prove to be as valu
able as their talent. However, the team did face a
scare at the end of 1998 with the loss of two de
fensive starters.
But A&M coach G. Guerrieri appears to
have found the answer in freshman Martha
Moore.'Despite being a freshman, Moore
is no stranger to competitive soccer and
has had enough experience coming into
A&M to gain a starting position with
the Aggies.
“She came in with a lot of expe
rience and was able to fit right
into the lineup,” junior forward
Alison Peters said. “She is an
awesome player with a great
feel for defensive play.”
Undoubtedly the highlight of
Moore’s short soccer career
came last spring when she
played in the 1999 Women’s
World Cup for the Mexican Na
tional Team. While playing in
the World Cup, she faced sea
soned veterans of the sport and
was able to hold her own.
Moore said she was amazed at the
skill level of her fellow World Cup par
ticipants.
“I liked the challenges,” Moore said. “The
forwards were incredible — quick on their
feet, huge, powerful. They were just awe
some.”
The 18-year-old played in two games out
of Mexico’s three in the ’99 Cup series. She
logged 115 total minutes in games against
Brazil and Germany.
From her experience in the highest level of
soccer, Moore could only take a step back.
That step was to college soccer, where she hopes
she can achieve even more success against less for
midable opponents.
“I knew after playing at that top level [the World
Cup] that I could step down to the collegiate level and
compete,” she said.
With such experience behind her before she start
ed college, surprisingly Moore was not recruited by
some of America’s top women’s soccer schools. She
visited second ranked University of North Carolina
and 18th ranked Clemson University, among others.
Yet she settled on Texas A&M, which entering the ’99
season was unranked in the NCAA top-25 poll.
The choice seems to have paid off, as A&M has
quickly won all of its six games this season, moving
the Aggies into the top 10.
Moore said her decision was based on the charac
teristics of Aggie soccer rather than ranking and rep
utation.
“I love the coaching staff and the team’s great,”
she said. “I love the style of play and thought this is
where I would fit in best.”
Since her arrival at A&M, she has quickly fit in
with the team and its style to become a key player for
the Aggies. Peters said Moore’s ability to fill the de
fensive gaps has quickly earned the young player the
confidence of her teammates.
“We play the same side (of the field),” Peters said.
“And I know that if I fall short, Martha’s got my back.
She’s awesome.”
At 5-feet-4 inches tall, Moore is relatively smali,
compared to many of her collegiate opponents. Yet
this never seems to affect Moore, who uses her skills,
footwork and soccer intelligence to keep opposing
forwards under control.
“I ignore [the size differences] and do my best,”
she said. “I try to outwork my opponent, find out her
weaknesses and use them against her.”
Moore describes her style of play as influenced by
her personal drive.
“The biggest influence on my play is my desire to
improve every time 1 play,” she said. “I drive myself.
“I love the game of soccer, and I’m going to play it
the best I can, as often as I can.”
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