Texas Tech Athletics
Alabama A&M
Red Raiders Respond, Pound Alabama A&M, 5-0
September 07, 2008 | Women's Soccer
Sept. 7, 2008
LUBBOCK, Texas - The Texas Tech soccer team responded from a disappointing Friday night draw with four first-half goals Sunday as the Red Raiders defeated Alabama A&M, 5-0, at Blue Raider Field in the finale of the Middle Tennessee Soccer Classic.
With the win, the Red Raiders improve to 3-1-1 on the season, while Alabama A&M drops to 1-4-0 overall. Tech is 3-0-1 against non-conference opponents this season.
Only 12 seconds into the match, Brittney Harrison would connect on her third goal of the season as the junior defender would take an Alabama A&M turnover and find the back of the net from around 10 yards. The goal was the quickest for the Red Raiders to start a match since Harrison scored her first career goal against Texas-San Antonio in 2006, which was only 40 seconds into the first period.
Soon after, Harrison would provide her third point of the match on a cross to Taylor Lytle as the redshirt freshman would tap it past the AAMU goalkeeper for her second goal of the season, allowing Tech to take an early 2-0 lead in the 10th minute.
Tech would increase its lead to 3-0 less than three minutes later as freshman Casey McCall headed in her first career goal off a Megan Hoffert corner kick.
Sophomore Katie Hinds would connect on her first of two goals in the 38th minute as Hinds would tap in a Kendyl Mygatt pass from five yards out. Hinds would provide Tech's final goal early in the second half off a Lauren Yelinek cross that left Hinds wide open for a header into the back of the net. Hinds had recorded no goals in her career prior to the match.
Despite only one save on the day, Tech goalkeeper Tina Rincon moves into a tie for first atop the Tech all-time shutout list as the senior now has 11 over her four-year career. The shutout was Rincon's third of the season, which is tops among Big 12 goalkeepers.
"Our effort was much improved from the opening whistle, and I think that was evident with us scoring 12 seconds into the match," Tech head coach Tom Stone said. "We came to play for all 90 minutes, and it was a much needed win that we had to have. We now have to prepare ourselves for coming home and facing Arizona next Friday."
Tech dominated Alabama A&M statistically as the Red Raiders finished with 18 shots to the Bulldogs' five and four corner kicks to AAMU's one. Tech's five goals were the most since connecting on 10 against Prairie View A&M on Sept. 8, 2006.
For their efforts throughout the weekend, Rincon, Mygatt and Lytle were all named to the All-Tournament team following the match.
The Red Raiders return to the John Walker Soccer Complex next weekend as the Red Raiders face Arizona Fri., Sept. 12, and Northwestern State Sun., Sept. 14.
