The No. 21 Aggies will move on to the NCAA elite eight after disposing of Ole Miss on penalty kicks Sunday.
Two overtimes couldn’t separate the two teams who were deadlocked at one goal a piece. The Aggies won 5-4 in penalty kicks after junior keeper Danielle Rice saved a penalty.
A&M (18-6-1) saw key midfielder Mikaela Harvey sent off during the fourth minute of overtime and fought hard to come out with a victory despite being reduced to 10 players for the final 16 minutes of the match.
Ole Miss (14-5-4) could not create opportunities against the Aggie defense. The Rebels were only able to manufacture six shots total, with only two on target compared to the Aggies, who put seven of their 17 shots on goal.
Ole Miss took the first lead of the game in the 14th minute thanks to a goal by Liza Harbin, which was her second of the season.
Seventeen minutes later, Harvey put away the equalizer for A&M. The midfield maestro received a pass at the top of the 18-yard box from Kate Hadju. Harvey then fired a rocket into the top left corner of the net and gave the keeper no chance at a save.
The two teams could not be separated for the remainder of the match. Sophomore forward Haley Pounds nearly put the game winner in the back of the net, but her shot attempt was saved to keep the game knotted at one.
In the penalty shoot-out, both teams made the most of their penalty kicks and put all of them away. That was until Danielle Rice made the biggest save of the season and knocked away Ole Miss’ fourth penalty shot. Sarah Shaw stepped up and buried the final kick from the spot solidify the win 5-4.
The Aggies will face No. 1 Florida State in the Elite Eight on Friday. The match will kick off at 1 p.m. Central Time.