Dartmouth Women Fall to No. 5 Texas A&M in Season Opener

Friday, August 31

College Station, Texas

7:00 p.m. (EST)

Dartmouth College

Texas A&M

Dartmouth Women Fall to No. 5 Texas A&M in Season Opener

8/31/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer

By: Dartmouth

Boxscore

College Station, Texas ? A penalty kick in the 23rd minute for No. 5 Texas A&M (1-1) proved the difference maker in a physical 2-0 loss for the Dartmouth women's soccer team (0-1) in front of 5,000 boisterous Aggie fans tonight.

Ashlee Pistorius just beat Dartmouth junior Laurel Peak (Reading, Conn.) in the right lower corner on the penalty kick to give Texas A&M the lead it would not relinquish.

"I was delighted with how we came into a tough environment and played against a top-five team in Texas A&M. I was so proud of our players and how they fought and battled," said Head Coach Angie Hind.

While only credited with three saves, Peak was impressive in just her seventh career start, playing aggressively in goal and frequently coming out to intercept the Aggies' attack.

A&M held momentum for much of the first half after its goal and took a 1-0 lead into halftime.

The Aggies came out swinging in the second half, mounting an early attack against a new look Dartmouth back line, led by senior co-captain Annie Stanley (Winnetka, Ill.). The Big Green's defense did a solid job of preventing Texas A&M from gaining any extra advantage early in the period. Both teams allowed a fast pace of play in what became an increasingly physical contest.

Peak was fouled hard by Pistorius while coming down with a caught cross in the 64th minute resulting in a yellow card on the Aggie forward. That moment proved a rallying point for the Big Green, who picked up the attacking intensity and held possession for much of the next 20 minutes.

Dartmouth had several chances late in the game, but could not manage to net the equalizer. The best opportunity came in the 77th minute when sophomore Myra Sack (Wynnewood, Pa.) took advantage of a free kick from 20 yards out but the Aggie defense managed to clear her shot.

The Aggies got an insurance goal at 85:09 when Amber Gnatzig just caught a cross in the midst of a goal-mouth scramble, scoring in the top left corner of the goal.

Six different players made their collegiate debut for the Big Green tonight including: sophomore Thea Sutton (San Rafael, Calif.) and freshmen Katie Davis (San Marina, Calif.), Alexis Euwema (Oak Brook, Ill.), Sarah Feldmann (Columbine Valley, Colo.), Melisa Krnjaic (Washington, D.C.) and Peyton Tata (Virginia Beach, Va.).

Sutton, Davis and sophomore Jenny Stone (Wilmette, Ill.) made their first collegiate starts in the contest.

"Sunday against Rice will be a good game for us. We don't know exactly what to expect from them and it will be a challenge this early in the season to recover for it," said Hind. "However, tonight's game filled me with confidence especially with the ability of our new players to contribute right away."

The Big Green takes on the Owls on Sunday, Sept. 2 at 12:00 p.m. EST at Texas A&M.