 "Photo: Curt Youngblood, Daily Texan Staff")
A game this filled with records and history could not end in any other way. After 20 matches between the rivals had been convincingly decided, Mike A. Myers Track and Soccer Stadium’s biggest crowd ever saw yet another first on Friday night: a tie.
Double overtime and 110 grueling minutes were not enough to separate the two sides or produce the crucial goal, forcing Texas and Texas A&M to accept a 0-0 draw and an early plot twist in the Big 12 Conference race.
The No. 7 Longhorns (7-0-2) will feel they had the best of this match on the pitch if not the scoreboard, but despite outplaying and outshooting No. 8 A&M (7-1-1), they had to settle for the first draw in the rivalry’s history.
“We played well. I think there are two parts to the game: how you play and how you score,” said head coach Chris Petrucelli. “We didn’t score well, but I’d definitely say we played well.”
In front of 5,585 screaming fans, most of whom stayed through to the final whistle hoping for the decisive goal, the Longhorns put on one of their best performances against A&M, dominating midfield and probing the Aggie defense time and again.
“It was a great atmosphere, and I really wish we could have got a goal for them,” Petrucelli said. “The crowd was wonderful. They made themselves heard, and, combined with the team’s performance, they really made it a fun night.”
And as the Aggies make their way back to College Station with a half-point, a testament to their defense and determination, Texas is left to wonder what could have been.
“We missed a couple chances that we should have put away,” said freshman striker Courtney Goodson. “I feel we did [outplay] them.”
Yet even with the feeling of two points lost instead of one gained hanging over Myers Stadium, the Longhorns still enjoy their best start in program history, winning seven of nine games and boasting a 22-game undefeated streak at home that stretches back to 2006.
And compared to last season, a three-game streak featuring two wins and a draw against A&M is the best run in program history against the Aggies, who have beaten Texas only once in their last five meetings.
The early stages of the match showed plenty of the intensity and physicality expected of the annual State Farm Lone Star Showdown. Set pieces provided the first real chances, with Courtney Gaines twice finding Kasey Moore with corners, but the senior Texas defender sent both headers over the bar when well placed.
Chances then dried up as A&M retreated into a defensive shell, content to play long passes from defense to release the speedy Whitney Hooper behind the Longhorn backline.
The tactic brought several scares to the Texas defense, but senior goalkeeper Dianna Pfenninger came flying off her goal line and out of the box to acrobatically clear the danger in front of Hooper.
Meanwhile, Texas defender Jill Gilbeau spent much of the night in the A&M half as she made tireless runs on the right flank. With 40 minutes gone, Gilbeau turned a defender at the corner flag and sent a dangerous drive across the face of the visitor’s goal. But even with Lucy Keith in the area, A&M goalkeeper Kelly Dyer was able to smother the ball on a bounce.
The biggest scare the Longhorns felt in the first half came not from the Aggie attack, but a crunching tackle on Goodson, the team’s leading goal scorer, that left the freshman crumpled on the turf holding her right ankle.
After being helped to the locker room, Goodson made a surprising return to start the second half, bringing cheers from the crowd.
“It hurts,” she said, a pack of ice still firmly taped to her ankle. “But I wanted to come backfor the team.”
And Texas’ outstanding freshman had the home side’s best chance of the match with two minutes remaining. Played through on goal by senior Stephanie Logterman, the freshman sent a whistling shot wide of the near post.
“We just didn’t capitalize the way we could of in front of the goal,” Goodson said. “But I’m still very pleased with our performance.”
At the other end, the Aggies were usually relegated to counter-attacks, but the experienced duo of Moore and Erica Campanelli were up to the challenge presented by Hooper and freshman forward Jennifer Kmezich.
“I think we did well defensively. A&M is great up top,” Moore said. “They have speed, play hard and are going to give a lot of trouble this year to other teams in the conference. But we didn’t give them too many goal scoring opportunities.”
The Aggies’ only clear-cut chance came with just 30 seconds left in double overtime when Hooper capitalized on a mistake by defender Emily Anderson to break through on goal. But as she has done all year, Pfenninger was up to the challenge as she slid out to meet Hooper and deflected the ball wide.
“Dianna [Pfenninger] comes up big all the time. She is the heart of the team,” Moore said. “Without her, I don’t think we would be as successful as we have been.”
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