NM State Aggies vs Abilene Christian Wildcats Soccer 10-2-22

I’m putting up two promo pictures today because I got to meet both of these girls today for autographs.  That’s Landy Williams at the top and Megan Sheehan below.  Details later. 

 

After yesterday’s disappointing losses (Volleyball and Football), Ron and I were hopeful for a win today with Aggie Soccer.  They had won on Friday, 4-0, over Tarleton State.  Four different players scored: Megan Ormson, Brooke Schultz, Sofia Beerworth, and Blakley Edgar, who I don’t think I’ve seen play.  I had to work that night.  Ron was there and picked up a giveaway shirt for me.  It’s a kid’s design shirt.  I wasn’t sure about keeping it, but decided to wear it for the game.  Once there, I immediately got complimented on it by another fan, who was also wearing the shirt.

 

It was overcast for this afternoon game, which was good to keep the sun off us.  There was also a stiff, cool breeze blowing.  I’d nearly left for the game without a jacket.  I was glad I brought one because the sky started spitting and drizzling.  A decent crowd showed up, including some Abilene Christian parents, who were vocal throughout the game.  Sofia was one of the starters.  I hadn’t seen her in a while.  The AC goalie, Lily Foster, was wearing a good-looking powder blue and white top.  The rest of the team was wearing black.  The Aggies were in white.

 

First Half

I’d brought my cowbell to the game.  Ron was . . . thrilled.  I gave it a clang to start the match.  Apparently, I was the only fan with the bad taste to have brought one.  Ron had described the game against Tarleton State as being “friendly” and “less physical” than some of the other matches we’d seen this season.  This would not be the case today.

 

Landy was pushed into tenacious defense right off the bat.  She essentially had a running fight with an attacker rushing the Aggie box.  The attacker was stiff-arming like a running back and picked up a foul.  38’ left in the half, the first really dangerous moment happened as the Aggie goalie, Makenna Gottschalk, got tangled up with the attacker while she was trying to handle the ball.  The goal was wide open before the ball was kicked out. 

 

36’ Sofia got in on the defense and was dragged down by the attacker, who got whistled for a foul.  The Aggies came back on offense.  35’ Mya Hammack was in position for a point blank attack, but was then swarmed by defenders.  33’ AC corner kick.  Makenna slapped out the shot, blocked another shot out, and then fell on a follow up shot off another corner.  Whew!  31’ another AC attack with only one defender in front of her.  The shot went high. 

 

The Aggies were playing physical, too.  29’ Mya tripped an attacker.  The ref either missed it or thought it was a flop.  It was bruising game.  Makenna was yelling her head off.  The AC reserves were screaming.  The AC parents were shouting encouragement constantly. 

 

24’ Bianca Chacon got off the first shot with a weak left-footed kick that went wide.  18’ the Aggies made two more attacks without a shot.  17’ the Aggies had a corner.  Sofia took a close shot.  It was blocked, but Megan Ormson was there to take out the trash and stuff it in.  Gooooooooal!  1-0 Aggies.  I rang my cowbell.  (I was also ringing on saves.)

 

AC tried to regroup.  15’ an AC player whiffed on a kick and fell to the ground, which got a laugh out of the crowd.  It’s okay, honey.  We’ve all been there.  She was taken out right after.  Coach Baarts was screaming across the field telling his girls to keep it up.  12’ Brooke took a shot that went wide.  10’ off an AC free kick, Makenna stopped a roller. 

 

At this point, it began raining.  Some of the crowd left, not the AC parents, of course.  I was okay, but I’d brought my autograph poster (autograph day had been rescheduled to today after the disastrous two-day affair) with me and was worried about it getting wet, along with my little notebook.  I covered the poster with a towel.  The last attack was at 1’.  Mya made a great pass in the box, but just missed the connection. 

 

Halftime

The Aggies stayed on field.  The Wildcats went to the locker room.  Thankfully, the rain let up.  Ron walked around.  I just stood up at my seat.  An exhibition Aggie Softball game was scheduled for after the soccer match.  The Aggie team was on the unused Football practice field warming up.  That was it for the halftime entertainment.             

 

Second Half

The half started with a quick foul.  Megan Ormson was starting a kick as the whistle blew and accidentally hit the ref in the behind.  Oops.  Everyone got a bit of a chuckle as the ref waved his arms at her.  The rest of this got more serious.

 

41’ left in the half, Xitlaly took a hit a midfield.  She got the attention of the ref and trotted off field without waiting for a trainer to come out.  She was holding her head at an odd angle.  40’ Loma McNeese took a shot that went high and wide.  40’ Coach Baarts was going insane on the sidelines as a breakaway AC attack ran into the Aggie box.  The whistle blew for offsides just before the attacker was tackled in the box, which would have been a foul.  Lucky. 

 

Xitlaly was on her knees on the sideline being treated.  She was eventually moved out-of-sight behind the bench.  I think they had her lying down.  39’ the ref gave the AC coach a Yellow Card.  I didn’t hear what the coach said, but the ref did.  38’ Mya passed across the AC goal to Gia Valenti.  She was blocked on two shots.  35’ back the other way, a charging Wildcat knocked down Landy.  She’s usually one of the bigger players on the field, but Landy wasn’t able to impose her physicality on the other team today.  They were tough.

 

35’ off an Aggie corner, the ball rolled to an open Loma.  Lily fell on the ball.  32’ two AC players went down in the Aggie box during an attack.  No call.  The AC parents were not happy.  31’ the Wildcats got three consecutive corner kicks.  One shot went high and Makenna pushed one of shots out.  29’ Mya Gonzales was alone in front of the AC goal.  Lily made a spectacular one-handed dive save.  28’ Loma and Lily collided going for the ball at the top of the AC box.  They were both okay and stayed in.

 

25’ Gia took a shot and Lily fell on it, but the ball got loose.  The Aggies weren’t able to follow up on the attack.  24’ Makenna stopped a bouncing shot.  20’ Xitlaly came back in.  She seemed okay.  I’d been worried about her.  Though 5’2”, she was not the shortest player on the field.  17’ 5’0” Wildcat Natalie Jones ran past a couple of defenders and took a shot.  Makenna made a one-handed save. 

 

15’ on an Aggie free kick, Lily was hit on the head during the scrum at the net.  She staggered a bit before the trainers got out to her, clearly dizzy.  Lily stayed in.  Ron was furious over the lax concussion protocols after Abe Romero’s death (local football player) and Tua Tagovailoa’s horrific NFL injury.  Immediately after the stoppage, Natalie took another shot on goal.  Makenna stopped it and gathered it.  11’ Landy got a Yellow Card.  On the incident, either player could have gotten carded.  Coach Baarts didn’t like the call as he yelled from sidelines.

 

Then it all got frantic.  8’ a ball got loose in the Aggie box.  It was kicked out.  The AC parents were going crazy.  7’ Makenna punched out a solo attack.  6’ Natalie took a chip shot that went just over the net.  5’ Xitlaly took a shot that did the same.  4’ she took a harder shot.  Lily saved it.  1’ AC got a free kick just outside the Aggie box.  The shot went high.  The last second, AC got another free kick in about the same spot.  This one was on target for the top shelf, but Makenna jumped and tipped it over the bar.  1-0 Aggies and we are all exhausted. 

 

Unlike the Football game yesterday, this non-scoring half of play was as exciting as heck.  For a game with the absolute minimum winning score, the rest of the stats are big.  Corner kicks were 10 to 7 Aggies.  Shots were AC 11 to 9 with 5 Shots on Goal each.  Megan Ormson is our hero.  Give gameballs to both goalies, Makenna Gottschalk and Lily Foster.  Xitlaly Hernandez and Lily also get recognition for having hard heads and lots of determination.  After the game, I was surprised as both teams formed a large prayer circle on field (or something like it).  It was a hard-fought, but no hard feelings.  

Megan Ormson, Gia Valenti, Xitlalty Hernandez

Bella Garcia, Bianca Chacon, Tati Jerman, Brooke Schultz, Megan Sheehan

Autographs

I was a bit tired going to down the field for autographs, but I wouldn’t be denied a chance to gush over the girls.  The PA announcer lined up behind me.  I congratulated her on her work.  I meant to do that after a previous event, but wasn’t able to.  She appreciated it.  Broadcaster Duke Keith came down to the field.  I thought he was going to get in line too, but he went over to talk to some people in a tent.  He seemed pleased with the game.  Coach Baarts was on field talking to people.  I didn’t get the opportunity to congratulate him on willing the team to victory.

 

Landy Williams was one of the first girls up at the table.  I saw her being nice to the kids in line in front of me.  (Yes, as usual, it was a bunch of children and me in line for autographs.)  I told her she was my favorite (I like her defense, even with a tough day today) and she was touched.  She also liked the kid’s designed shirt.  Okay, I’ll keep it.  She apparently knew the kid who drew it.

 

I wanted to greet backup goalie Valerie Guha by name, since I knew she was from Germany and a long way from home.  She was all smiles.  I got a good look at Xitlaly Hernandez.  She had blood on her jersey and a large stitched cut on her forehead.  Yeah, they’d stitched her up and put her back in.  I mentioned seeing her yesterday and told her she had the best hair on the team.  She actually appreciated the compliment. 

 

Makenna Gottschalk was smiling as I congratulated her.  I unfortunately mentioned wanting the other goalie’s autograph, too.  That was dumb, especially after she’d just saved the game.  I met Megan Sheehan, Ron’s favorite, and told her about it.  She seemed surprised.  (I just noticed another dumb thing I missed.  She’s from Ireland.  I would have said something.)  I also got to congratulate Megan Ormson on the winning shot.  She was a bit embarrassed.    

 

I told lovely Sofia Beerworth I’d missed her in the last couple of games.  She had been injured, but I didn’t get what it was.  Mya Hammack was radiant.  I told her she had the second best hair on the team.  Lastly, I’ll mention meeting Bella Garcia, my crush on the team.  Oh, wow.  She is even better looking in person.  She also seems like she doesn’t take a lot of nonsense from guys fawning over her.  She didn’t play today.  I asked about her wrist.  She said it was okay.

 

Though softball had just started, I was completely drained.  I don’t think Ron was really desiring to stay for another game either.  Sorry, Softball ladies.  We took off for What-a-burger and I felt better after a meal.  This was busy weekend (and week writing this).