After an uncharacteristically slow start, Texas A&M soccer is looking for a spark on one of the biggest nights of the season.
The Aggies are preparing for a matchup with the Alabama Crimson Tide for Senior Night on Friday, Oct. 15. The Aggies hold an 8-3-1 record against Alabama in the squads’ head-to-head series.
After starting the season with a 5-2-1 record, which included a win against then-No. 9 Clemson and one-goal losses to No. 1 Florida State and then-No. 8 TCU, the Aggies dropped five of their next six matches to fall to 6-7-1 overall and 2-4 in conference play. This is uncharted territory for many of the players, as the maroon and white has not seen a season with seven losses since an eight-loss campaign in 2016.
Most recently, the team dropped a 2-0 match at Ole Miss. In a press conference on Monday, Oct 11, A&M head coach G Guerrieri said, though Ole Miss is talented, uncommon circumstances and atypically missed opportunities played a factor in the Aggies’ poor performance.
“Ole Miss is a different type of team,” Guerrieri said. “They are a team that thrives on chaotic situations. Circumstances helped them quite a bit. A 20 mile-per-hour wind coming right down the field adds a lot of chaos to the game. They had two shots and they scored two goals. We had 16 shots and didn’t score.”
So far this season, freshman forward Maile Hayes has paved the way offensively, leading the squad in goals with six total and two in conference play. Freshman defender Mia Pante has led the squad in assists with seven total, two in conference play. Senior goalkeeper Kenna Caldwell has been productive defending shots, allowing just 1.64 goals per game.
Alabama enters the matchup with an 8-7 record overall and an SEC record of 3-3. The Tide has been productive lately, holding a 5-3 record in its last eight matches. Its most recent match was a 1-0 victory over Mississippi State.
For the Tide, graduate student forward Ashlynn Sereoca has led the scoring and assists with five and three, respectively. Graduate students McKinley Crone and Brooke Bollinger have each seen time at goal, but Crone looks to be the starter heading into the match with A&M.
Guerrieri said Alabama deserves words of praise for its coaching and execution styles. He also said the Aggies need to be prepared for a tough opponent as they fight to get back in the win column.
“Alabama has always been a tough team for us to play against,’’ Guerrieri said. “It’s one of the teams that we’ve lost to in the past. We have a pretty good winning record over them all-time, and we beat them last year in Tuscaloosa. It’s still going to be a challenge. They’re well coached, and they’re really well organized, so they give you some unique challenges.”
The matchup is slated for 7 p.m. on Friday Oct. 15, at Ellis Field in College Station.