After a tough-sledding loss at UConn on Sept. 15, Texas A&M soccer rebounded with a 1-0 win on Thursday in Columbia, Missouri, capturing the program’s 500th victory.
A season-high 10 corner kicks gave the Aggies the edge throughout the game as the offense was able to keep pressure on Missouri sophomore goalkeeper Kate Phillips, who conceded a goal in the 61st minute, securing a happy ride home for the Maroon and White.
A&M has made a living in taking these low scoring, tight games, with five of its past six victories being the difference of, at most, two goals.
Coach G Guerrieri’s squad had 18 total shots to Missouri’s nine as A&M maintained a constant pressure on Phillips. Junior midfielder Sydney Becerra and graduate forward Jazmine Wilkinson led the charge with five shots each, the former registering an assist to secure the game in favor of the Aggies.
Sophomore defender Margo Matula broke through the Tiger defense in the second period, where she was able to seize the opportunity in a scrum at the net created by Becerra’s shot on goal. Matula, a 2023 SEC All-Freshman team selection, tallied her second goal on the season and leads the Aggies in minutes on the backline.
“We had so many chances on set pieces, so one needed to go in, so it was doing whatever it took to get it there,” Matula said following the victory.
The A&M defense was able to settle in and avoid any real pressure until Matula scored her goal, only then did Missouri start to turn up the heat on its assault. Freshman GK Sydney Fuller was able to have a quiet, yet successful, game while registering two saves in the late minutes of the contest.
Thursday’s victory over the Tigers is the Aggies’ first win against their old Big 12 opponent since 2019, with the most recent matchup ending in a tie at Ellis Field back in 2022. The win also signifies the Aggies’ 500th in the team’s history and makes them the first SEC team and Texas team to reach such a feat. With only 12 other Division I soccer programs reaching this milestone, Guerrieri and A&M are in elite company.
“To be the only team in the state of Texas to do that is pretty remarkable,” Guerrieri said postgame. “Gosh, I mean, just amazing women have been part of that.”
The Aggies will face another old conference foe in Oklahoma, followed by a ranked matchup with No. 6 Auburn, both of which are at home.
With a comfortable current position of fourth in the SEC, shot leader Becerra and company will have ample opportunity to continue winning out and put themselves in great opportunities for postseason success.
This game marks the sixth shutout victory of the season, as the A&M goalkeepers have been able to maintain a clean game and take advantage of a forward attacking offense. Moreover, every Maroon and White win this season has been a shutout. The team will have to employ this same caliber of defense if there is any hope of cracking the top 25 rankings once again.
With one third of the season down and out, A&M will have to continue to develop its identity as a strong defensive team to continue into the later stages of the season and perhaps take home the conference tournament championship for the first time since 2017.
