LEXINGTON, KY -- Texas A&M sophomore forward Kelley Monogue twice erased one-goal Kentucky leads in the second half as the Aggies and the Wildcats played to a 2-2, double overtime, draw on Friday evening at the UK Soccer Complex.
With the Wildcats nursing a 2-1 lead in the waning moments of the second half, Meghan Streight lined up a free kick from 30 yards out. Streight’s service entered the penalty box and after Annie Kunz was unable to get a head on it Monogue collected the ball from six yards out on the right corner of the goal area and launched it past the Kentucky netminder Kayla Price to left side for the equalizer in the 84th minute.
The Aggies nearly won the game as time expired in the second half. Shea Groom tore through the penalty box from the right flank and sent a shot to the left post. With :02 showing on the clock, the shot missed both the post to the left and the foot of a charging Allie Bailey and crossed the end line harmlessly as the clock struck zero.
Texas A&M (10-1-1, 4-0-1 SEC) had the only shot on goal in extended play when Groom sent a shot in from 10 yards out in the fifth minute of the first overtime period, but Price made the stop to keep the game knotted at 2-2.
After a scoreless first half, Kentucky drew first blood in the 52nd minute. Cara Ledman ripped a shot from 15 yards out on the left side. Aggies’ goalkeeper Jordan Day got her left hand on it and sent the deflection off the left post. The carom landed at the foot of Kelli Hubley at the top of the goal area and she sent it to the back of the net from five yards out and the Wildcats staked claim to a 1-0 lead with 38:30 remaining in the second half.
In the 66th minute, Monogue tied the game with a shot from 30 yards out. The sophomore was able to weave through two defenders and pivot around a third to make enough room for a shot. With a sliver of daylight available, she tattooed an unstoppable shot that ripped into the left upper 90.
Kentucky (8-2-1, 3-1-1 SEC) reclaimed the lead in the 80th minute with Hubly’s second goal of the match. Consecutive passes by Caitlin Landis and Courtney Raetzman put Hubly in an enviable position 10 yards in front of the goal and she chipped it into the goal for the 2-1 lead.
Both goals were threatened infrequently during the first half, with Texas A&M owned a 7-5 advantage in shots and both teams managed just one shot on goal.
Kunz notched the Aggies initial shot on goal in the eighth minute of action. Falling to the ground from 12 yards out, Kunz was still able to rip off a shot with pace, which the Wildcats’ netminder gobbled up.
The Wildcats were unable to get a shot on goal until the 40th minute. Raetzman stormed into the box from the right corner and unleashed a shot from 10 yards out, but Day was in perfect position for the save to keep the game scoreless going into the intermission.
The Texas A&M defense had its shutout string snapped at seven games and 747 minutes of action. The Aggies also had a win streak snapped at nine games, but extended their unbeaten string to 10 games.
The Aggies return to action on Sunday for a 3 p.m. contest against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville. The match will be televised on Cox Sports TV (Channel 119 on Suddenlink – Bryan).
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach G Guerrieri
Overall thoughts on the game: It was a hard-fought game and Kentucky came out and played well. After they went up 2-1, I think we created some good chances offensively and almost pulled out the win. Kelley (Monogue) scored the equalizer, but we came close to getting the game winner there in the last seconds of the second half. I think a tie was a fair result for the way the two teams played.
On Kelley Monogue’s two goals: When she is playing well offensively we have a chance to win any game. She’s getting more comfortable every week and hopefully she’ll be at 100 percent fairly soon.
