KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 16 Texas A&M Aggies dropped a 3-0 decision to the No. 12 Tennessee Volunteers in NCAA Division I Championship third round action Sunday evening at Regal Soccer Stadium.
The Aggies wrapped up the 2018 campaign with a 17-5-1 record. They earned their 24th consecutive NCAA Division I Championship bid, made their 21st consecutive NCAA Championship second round appearance and earned the program’s 15th Sweet 16.
The final score belied the evenness of play on the pitch. Texas A&M owned the edge in shots (15-13), shots-on-goal (8-5) and corner kicks (3-1), but Tennessee’s Shae Yanez made a career-high eight saves to record the shutout.
The Volunteers scored goals in the first three minutes of each half to make the Maroon & White play catchup for most of the match.
Tennessee went into the intermission with a 1-0 lead thanks to four saves Yanez. After 45 minutes of action, shots were even at 6-6, but Texas A&M held a 4-2 advantage in shots-on-goal and a 3-0 edge in corner kicks.
In the 26th minute, the Aggies were able to slip Ally Watt through the Volunteers’ backline, but her shot from 10 yards was stonewalled by Yanez with a diving punch at the right post. Yanez also made a diving save on a Bates missile in the seventh minute and gobbled up shots by Bates and Cienna Arrieta in the waning moments of the first half.
After the Tennessee’s 47th minute goal, Texas A&M was able to put four shots on frame, but could not put in an ice breaker as the Volunteers’ lead went unthreatened.
