The Texas A&M Aggies battled it out against the Mississippi State Bulldogs while the sun set overhead of A&M’s soccer field on Thursday, Sept. 22.
These two teams of maroon and white have a lopsided history. The Bulldogs won the most recent match up in 2021, but the Aggies won the previous nine matches in a row from 2012-2020.
“[The Bulldogs] are a hard-nosed, tough team with some fantastic athletes all around the field,” coach G Guerrieri said.
In the first half of the game, the white with maroon striped A&M side racked up nine fouls. Their opponents from Starkville, Miss., adorned in solid maroon, went into halftime with six fouls.
As the game clock reset to 45 minutes for the second half, the fans at Ellis Field were electric in the stands.
Within the 52nd minute, graduate defender Karlina Sample made a mistouch that sent the ball into her own net. The scoreboard updated to Mississippi State one and Texas A&M nil.
“That mistake isn’t what lost the game for us. We could improve all over the field tonight,” senior defender Katie Smith said.
A yellow card was distributed to sophomore Bulldog defender Rylie Combs in the 77th minute of play. Combs harshly took down sophomore forward Maile Hayes.
An aggressive game ended with the Bulldogs, who fouled 14 total times to the Aggies’ 12, pulling out a road win with the final score of 1-0.
“It comes down to wanting to win. We have opportunities,” sophomore defender and forward Mia Pante said.
The Aggies will play next on the road at Tuscaloosa, Ala., against the University of Alabama on Sunday, Sept. 25, at 6 p.m. on SEC Network+.