A&M soccer coach G. Guerrieri at least knows his team is paying attention to him.
As a result of a few good set pieces, a point of emphasis during recent practices, the No. 7 Aggies completed an Oklahoma sweep Sunday with a 5-0 victory over the Sooners and moved into first place in the Big 12.
"We talked about that early in this week ... just as a reminder that a lot of times big games are decided on set pieces," A&M coach G. Guerrieri said. "If you have a free kick you have an opportunity to put a ball in scoring position, and you have to use that opportunity to finish it off. Today, four of five goals on set pieces is a good indicator that we have some girls that are listening."
A&M, which beat No. 12 Oklahoma State 2-1 on Friday, improved to 10-1-1 overall and 2-0-1 in conference play. The Aggies are tied with Colorado but have a game in hand.
The Aggies' first shot Sunday was off target, but the next three found the back of the net.
From just in front of her own bench, Rebecca Herrera's free kick found Laura Grace Robinson on the back post. Robinson headed it in for a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute.
Ten minutes later, Herrera dropped a corner kick right in front of the goal at the 6-yard box, and fellow backline player Brianne Young headed it in past OU goalkeeper and fellow A&M Consolidated star Lisa Jett.
"We think we are a pretty good team in the air," Guerrieri said. "Rebecca Herrera has been laying those balls in there all year and it was nice to see LG [Robinson] get onto one and Bri, who can really sky, get on the end of it."
Young added another goal near the end of the match on a free kick from 20 yards out. Young beat the wall and buried it in the roof of the net.
"My mission is to just go to the ball. I'm like a heat-seeking missile, that's what G. always tells me," Young said of breaking to the ball. "So I just go after the ball wherever it is."
Young's day definitely ended better than it started. In the second minute, she was undercut while jumping for a header near the corner of the penalty box and stayed on the ground for a couple of minutes after landing squarely on the Sooners' Lauren Alkek.
Rachel Shipley made it 3-0 in the 31st minute on a pass across the penalty box from Jennifer Kmezich. Shipley one-timed it between Jett and the near post.
A&M's other goal came on a penalty kick by Amber Gnatzig, who gave Jett no chance after Whitney Hooper was taken down in the penalty box by Ashley Bolden.
OU (1-11, 0-3) had one real opportunity against the Aggies, and it came late. A header by Alkek, who was later sent off because of two yellow cards, made A&M goalkeeper Kelly Dyer stretch to her left to save a header directed toward the post.
"We didn't play real well today, but we win 5-0 so I guess that is a sign of a team that is moving forward," Guerrieri said. "Sunday afternoon games [in the Big 12] can be hard. It's hard to play a tough game on Friday night and come back and do it again on Sunday."
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