Huskers Come From Behind to Take Out Texas A&M

Lincoln -- With two goals in the final 13 minutes of the game - including the game-winner with 2:07 remaining - the third-ranked Nebraska soccer team defeated No. 14 Texas A&M, 2-1, Sunday afternoon before a crowd of 748 at the Abbott Sports Complex. With the win, the Huskers improved to 14-0-0 and 5-0-0 in the Big 12 Conference, while the Aggies fell to 9-5-0 and 3-2-0.

Nebraska junior forward Becky Preston bumped the game-winning goal off her stomach at 87:53, after a cross from senior defender Jenny Benson bounced off Aggie goalkeeper Esther Thompson in front of Preston.

"All I remember was that Benny had it on the wing and kicked a nice cross," Preston said. "I just ran into it. I think it bounced off my stomach. I was sure the keeper was going to get it. I guess I was just in the right place at the right time."

Texas A&M sophomore midfielder Andrea Starns put the Aggies on the board at 19:59, marking the first time the Huskers had trailed in a game this season. It was also the first goal Nebraska had allowed since Sept. 10, against Purdue. NU senior goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc, who recorded four saves, surrendered her fourth goal of the year after a scoreless streak of 710:21 - a mark that ranks 11th in NCAA Division-I history.

After trailing for nearly 58 minutes, the Huskers tied the game on a header from sophomore forward Christine Latham at 77:42. The ball came to Latham on a corner kick from sophomore forward Brooke Jones. The goal was Latham's conference-leading 15th of the season.

"There was so much emotion going on after that first goal," Preston said. "We need that to get us going."

In all, NU outshot the Aggies, 24-10, and outcornered Texas A&M, 13-3.

"There's a bit of drama every time the two of us get together," Nebraska Head Coach John Walker said. "Sometimes in sports, you get two teams that seem to bring out the best in each other. The two teams enjoy playing each other and there seems to be a healthy respect."

Thompson recorded nine saves as the Huskers took 11 shots on goal. The effort upped Thompson's goals-against 1.26, while LeBlanc raised her conference-leading goals-against average to 0.32.

"Nebraska is a heck of a team," Texas A&M Head Coach G. Guerrieri said. "We are disappointed that we gave up two goals, but I'm proud of the way the team battled. We showed incredible character and fortitude this afternoon."

In other top-five action this weekend, 12th-ranked Duke defeated No. 2 Clemson, 2-0, on Saturday, while top-ranked Notre Dame downed Georgetown, 8-0, on Friday, before pulling out a 1-0 victory at Villanova on Sunday.

 

Scoring Summary:

Time	Player (Team)	Assists
19:59	Andrea Starns (Texas A&M)	Juli Goin, Adrienne Dillard
77:42	Christine Latham (Nebraska)	Brooke Jones
87:53	Becky Preston (Nebraska)	unassisted

Shots: Nebraska 24, Texas A&M 10

Shots on Goal: Nebraska 11, Texas A&M 5

Corner Kicks: Nebraska 13, Texas A&M 3

Goalkeeper Saves: Texas A&M 9 (Esther Thompson 9), Nebraska 4 (Karina LeBlanc 4)

Fouls: Texas A&M 11, Nebraska 6

Attendance: 748