Monday, August 27, 2001
Ags pound Hurricanes, 11-0
11 A&M squad to open season Friday
\ter ousting Tulsa in exhibition matchup
By Jeremy Brown
THE BATTALION
It took only 29 seconds for Linsey Johnson
nd the llth-ranked Texas A&M women’s soc-
e|team to put the ball in the net and begin a 11-
rout of the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes in an exhi-
lition game Saturday night at the Aggie Soccer
’on piex.
■ohnson, a freshman forward from Midland,
iexas, scored the first goal with an assist from
enior forward Nicky Thrasher and went on to
ead the Aggies’ scoring with three goals.
■Vith her second goal, Johnson put the Aggies
ipfc-0 only 2:49 into the game.
head soccer coach Gerald Guerrieri
;aid he was impressed by Johnson’s performance
■ not surprised.
((
Tulsa is not a bad team. It is one
thing to beat a
bad team by this type of score, but
Tulsa is a good team.
— Gerald Guerrieri
A&M soccer coach
—
■ “Linsey Johnson is going to be a handful for
Our opponents for the next four years,” he said.
■ Guerrieri kept his team on the attack the entire
grst period, and Tulsa could not keep up. The
Atgies scored 10 points in the first period.
■ “Tulsa is not a bad team,” he said, “It is one
thing to beat a bad team by this type of score, but
Tulsa is a good team.”
■ Tulsa was picked to finish second in the
Western Athletic Conference (WAC) by a WAC
coaches poll.
Goalkeepers Esther Thompson and Angela
Barker saw little action for the night as the
Aggies’ attacking style of play kept the ball on
Tulsa’s half of the field almost the entire game.
Thompson only had to make one save during the
first period.
“I always look at it this way ... I’d rather be
bored and winning than full of work and losing,”
Thompson said.
Tulsa only managed to take four shots at the
goal, and the Hurricanes’ first attack of
A&M’s goal did not happen until almost 12
minutes into the game. By then, A&M was
already up 3-0.
“We are big believers in the best defense is a
strong attack,” Guerrieri said. “If we can play
most of the game, or all of the game in the other
team’s half of the field, it makes the life of our
goalkeeper a lot easier.”
Thrasher is fully recovered from the broken
leg that ended her season last year and forced her
to take a medical redshirt. She contributed to
A&M’s early run by scoring the second goal of
the night, and she finished with two goals and
two assists.
After jumping out to a 10-0 lead in the first
half, the Aggies slowed the pace down in the sec
ond and pulled many of their starters.
Junior forward Heather Ragsdale, last year’s
top scorer, put up A&M’s last point by scoring on
a penalty kick in the second half.
Senior midfielder Michelle Royal tallied three
assists and netted one goal during the exhibition.
After the game, the two teams held a 30-minute
practice period when A&M scored three more goals.
The Aggies open the regualr season on Friday
at the Aggie Soccer Complex against Samford
and then welcome first-ranked and defending
national champion North Carolina Sunday for a
top-20 showdown.
GUY ROGERS • THE BATTALION
Sophomore Kristen Strutz looks to pass in Saturday's 11-0
defeat of Tulsa. The Aggies will open up the regular season on
Friday night against Samford at the Aggie Soccer Complex.
1 SPORTS IN BRIEF
Cowboys to tangle
with L.A. in Mexico
MEXICO CITY (AP) - The
“bad boys” from Oakland made
a good first impression on
Mexico’s football fans. But
Dallas promised them a long-
delayed glimpse of Emmitt
Smith on Monday night.
Raiders fans outnumbered
Dallas Cowboys followers
Sunday as the teams got a
glance at 112,000-seat Azteca
Stadium, where they will play
Monday night — or at least a
look at the part of the field not
covered by a tarp against a driz
zling rain.
It’s the sixth time since 1978
the NFL has brought a presea
son game to Mexico City.
Soccer is king here, but NFL
games are popular on television
and local football teams have a
decent following.
The Cowboys and their cheer
leaders have long been fan
favorites here, aiming market
ing toward Mexico and taking
part in earlier preseason
American Bowls.
The security-conscious
Cowboys shunned fans on their
arrival Saturday evening at a
hotel one newspaper described
as a “bunker.” Raiders stars,
meanwhile, signed autographs
and joked with children.
Raiders tight end Roland
Williams joked with a girl who
handed him a Cowboys helmet
to sign: “No, no, no. I’m with
the Raiders. I’m one of the good
guys.”
The massive soccer shrine
offers the chance for fans to
make themselves felt.
For Mexican fans, it’s a rare
chance to see top-level football
players in person, even in an
exhibition game.
S62-PARK
All Permits Ordered Prior to Auq. 21
May be Picked-Up at Reed Arena.
Free Soft Prinks & Pop Com!
Shuttle Service from Reed to John J. Koidus.
Student Parking Available in all SLUE and REP Lots
Without Proper Permit Pisplay until SEPT. 3.
* Check-Out the Uus Operations
Resource Table.
* Ponate Pood Items at the Food Prive Table.
Each donor receives a ticket for each food item.
The tickets will be placed in a Prawing for 1 Tree
Month of Parking in any Visitor Facility.
University Center Garage, North Side Garage, Central Campus Garage or ?i 72)
What Need a Pfeture IP