The No. 22 Texas A&M soccer team traveled to Auburn on Friday night to take on the Auburn Tigers and lost 1-0 to open SEC play. The Aggies fall to 4-2-1 after the loss and the Tigers improve to 4-3-1 with the win.
“It was a disappointing loss to open SEC play.” head coach G Guerrieri told 12thman.com. “The team fought hard to get a lot of scoring chances, including numerous opportunities in the six-yard box, but we weren’t able to produce.”
Auburn scored the only goal of the game in the ninth minute when senior Hannah Alspach netted her first goal of the year off the assist from fellow senior Kristen Dodson. The Aggies had multiple chances in the first half, with shots from junior Brittany Crabtree in the fourth minute, junior Emily Bates in the 24th minute, sophomore Ally Watt in the 41st minute, and two shots from senior Stephanie Malherbe in the 23rd and 42nd minutes, but all were saved by junior Auburn keeper Sarah Le Beau.
The second half was dominated by the Aggies with a multitude of shots, but nothing could find the net. Senior Haley Pounds, sophomore Callyn Walton, senior Mikaela Harvey, sophomore Cienna Arrieta and freshman Addie McCain all attempted shots on goal, but no Aggie could break through against Auburn. The match ended up being very physical as well, with A&M committing 15 fouls and Auburn committing eight.
“Auburn got a great goal early and they made it stand.” Guerrieri said. “Auburn’s goalkeeper made some tremendous stops and their defense was courageous in getting their body between the ball and some of the shots. The game is about finishing your chances. That’s something we did last Sunday and something we have to do in every match down the road.”
The Aggies will be back in action on Thursday as they welcome the Florida Gators to Ellis Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
