Senior night did not go as Texas A&M soccer had hoped, falling to No. 19 South Carolina 1-0 at Ellis Field off of a pricey defensive mistake.
“I thought we were fantastic, up until about a yard and a half off the line, we score an own-goal against ourselves,” coach G Guerrieri said. “We peppered their goal, we do everything but score … [so] you have got to give South Carolina a ton of credit. We knew they were a gritty team and [they proved it].”
The Gamecocks dominated possession of the ball in the first half. However, they were outshot nine to five by the Aggies.
Fifth-year goalkeeper Kenna Caldwell leaped through the air in the 34th minute to deny a goal-scoring opportunity for the Gamecocks.
Caldwell could not fend off South Carolina later in the half however, as sophomore defender Gracie Falla struck first for South Carolina in the 43rd minute after a corner kick went awry in the Fightin’ Farmers back-line, causing an own goal. Junior Gamecock midfielder Lily Render assisted on Falla’s goal with a well-placed corner.
“I felt like for the most part we were a solid brick wall,” sophomore defender Carolyn Calzada said. “Obviously they had a couple of opportunities but the goal they scored came off the corner fake. We played out of the back really smart and dumped [the ball off] when we needed to, I’m really proud of [our] pretty young back-line … just a little bit more work [needed] to be put in to not allow them any more chances.
The Aggies tried to overcome adversity on offense during the second half, finishing the match with 25 shots and 10 on target.
In the 64th minute, the Maroon and White missed a chance to even the game when Calzada made a dynamic run past a handful of defenders, then put up a shot that was deflected off the woodwork.
“We cleared balls off the line, hit the post, hit the crossbar and everything but the net,” Guerrieri said. “It’s really frustrating for the girls, they worked hard, but you have got to work hard in the last six yards [because] that is where the game is won and lost.
“It is a tough way to finish the home stretch,” Guerrieri said. “We are still in control of our destiny, but now we have to go do it on foreign soil in Knoxville.”
Next, A&M will be on the road for the remainder of the season, first heading to Knoxville to face off against Tennessee on Sunday, Oct. 22nd, at 1 p.m. at Regal Soccer Stadium.