Following a successful trip to Oxford, Mississippi, Texas A&M soccer returned to Ellis Field Thursday to be met with a 2-0 rout by the Vanderbilt Commodores, dropping the Maroon and White to 3-3-0 in conference play.
Vanderbilt senior midfielder Addie Porter began the only action in the opening half with a header at the 25th-minute mark, receiving help by way of a corner kick from junior M Maci Teater.
Despite having the 6-4 shooting edge in the first half, the Aggies were unable to put a ball in the back of the net as they went into halftime trailing 1-0.
On the defensive side of the ball, graduate goalkeeper Grace McClellan was tasked with filling the shoes of freshman GK Sydney Fuller, who had gotten banged up in the Aggies’ victory at Ole Miss on Oct. 4. McClellan’s performance saw her register two saves in a game where A&M looked to replicate its potent attack that lifted it over Ole Miss. This would prove to be a tall task, as the defense conceded two goals in the 25th and 80th minutes that left the offense in a hole.
“She stepped in an performed really admirably,” coach G Guerrieri said of McClellan. “I thought that she was good in her distribution and did well at leading. Those are two tough goals against two well-taken headers on the corner kick and the cross.”
Junior M Sydney Becerra spearheaded the A&M charge to get back on pace for victory, as she went on to rack up four shots, including two on goal alongside sophomore M Grace Ivey, who got her feet wet with four shots of her own. Despite their joined efforts, the Aggies were unable to capitalize on their shooting advantage, as the Commodores recorded save after save.
Moving into the second half, however, the Maroon and White flipped a switch as their rekindled intensity kept the ball in Vanderbilt territory and forced senior GK Sara Wojdelko to stay on her toes. Wojdelko went on to record five saves through the game while shaking off four A&M corner kicks.
The Aggies seemed to be just an inch short time and time again, as their five shots on goal were unable to break through the Vanderbilt lines, either nearly missing the corners or flying high over the net.
To make matters worse for an otherwise well-performing A&M offense, junior forward Caroline Betts tacked on an insurance goal in the 80th minute after being assisted by sophomore M Courtney Jones. Without any exclamation marks from the Aggies’ offense, the Vanderbilt lead quickly became insurmountable.
“We were unfortunate in a couple situations,” Guerrieri said. “I thought [Vanderbilt] managed the end of the game really well. They managed the end of the first half well. … Once they were able to get the lead, then they were able to kind of slowly take the air out of the game, which can be frustrating.”
In light of the defeat, A&M still has a winning blueprint for the rest of its schedule, leading the Commodores in shots and shots on goal and dealing less fouls on the night. If the Aggies can cement a plan for finishing through drives and set pieces, perhaps the team can find its way into favorable NCAA Tournament seeding in November.
“I’m disappointed in the result, but I am not disappointed in the effort of our players,” Guerrieri said. “I thought our players played hard. … We definitely didn’t come down terribly hard on the players because we played well in so many different facets of the game, it’s just we didn’t finish our chances.”
A loss against a middle-of-the-pack Vanderbilt team moves A&M into fifth place in the SEC and still leaves hope for the rest of the regular season as it draws to a close at the end of October. The Aggies will have their work cut out for them to stay on track, as they are set to face No. 6 Arkansas and No. 8 Mississippi State on Oct. 24 and Oct. 27, respectively.
A&M travels to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to take on the Crimson Tide at 6 p.m. on Sunday.
