Texas A&M men's club soccer controlled the game from the opening whistle, opening its six-game spring season with a resounding 10-0 victory.
The Aggies kicked off their spring on Saturday, March 2nd against Bell County FC at the Penberthy Rec Sports Complex. Although the Aggies aren't playing for a trophy this season, the game will foster new talent, said graduate center back Bryant MacArthur.
The Maroons and Whites started the game in a standard 4-3-3 formation and opened the scoring in the second minute. Sophomore attacking midfielder Sebastian Ramirez picked up the loose ball and fired it past the goalie for a goal.
“I'm glad I got it early,” said graduate Alex Gutenberg. “The first game of the spring season is going to be nerve-wracking, but I think getting the first game early in the game got everyone involved.”
A&M kept the pressure on Bell County FC and dominated the ball. The Aggies' goal in the seventh minute was ruled offside, but sophomore Steven Mucher's penalty in the ninth minute extended the lead to two points.
Bell County FC was unable to prevent the A&M goalie from making a save, but their best chance came when a free kick hit the wood frame from about 30 yards out.
After bringing in two substitutes, A&M was rewarded when junior Rishi Venkateswaran crossed the ball from the right side to sophomore Jackson Ward for an easy finish. Sophomore Quinn Staeling added the extra point just before halftime to put the Aggies up 4-0 at halftime.
In the second half, there were three new Aggies on the scoresheet with goals from sophomore Alfred Fairchild, junior Julian Allai and junior Sean Paxton. Stehling scored again and Ward converted a penalty on the final kick of the game to complete his hat trick and make the score 10-0 for A&M.
“We have more competition and we're going to have to focus on that,” Gutenberg said. “Obviously I'm not going to score 10 goals every game, but it should be fun.”
There are five more games scheduled for men's soccer, including the reunion game on April 27th, which concludes the year.