Texas A&M soccer opened its spring schedule with a 2-0 exhibition loss to Baylor at Ellis Field. The two teams last met in Waco during the fall season, where the Bears secured a 1-0 victory on an 85th minute game-winning shot from senior forward Tyler Isgrig, who— fittingly netted the final goal once again in this matchup. The match followed a hockey-style format, with three 30-minute periods played out across the course of the exhibition.
1st 30 minutes
Both sides began the contest with similar formations, displaying a 4-3-3, respectively. The Aggies’ starting lineup blended experience with fresh talent, featuring two new faces in the backline in freshman Riley Crooks at center back and incoming freshman Lucy Landherr at right back, both from California.
Coach G Guerreri’s side implemented a high defensive line met with high pressure, making it difficult for the Bears to string consecutive passes together before giving up possession.
Sophomore midfielder Kennedy Clark was the orchestrator for the Aggie offense early on, creating a couple of shot opportunities and dribbling in circles around Baylor’s midfielders.
A&M’s first real opportunity came with nine minutes left in the half when junior F Leah Diaz threaded a precise through ball to fellow junior M Trinity Buchanan. Buchanan shook off her defender, but a heavy touch allowed senior goalkeeper Azul Alvarez to come off her line and mitigate the danger.
After a scrappy first 30 minutes, A&M controlled the midfield battle but remained locked in a scoreless draw.
2nd 30 minutes
Contrary to the first 30 minutes, Baylor began the period on the attack, taking the initiative and creating a couple of early chances.
A&M had kept the Bears’ prolific junior striker Caroline Staubach quiet during the first 30 minutes, but she awoke in the second third, constantly gaining on the back of the Aggie defenders while being a threat in the box with her 6-foot frame.
Staubach’s first appearance came eight minutes into play through a free kick that made solid contact with the sphere but was unfortunately struck a little too hard with the ball sailing way above the goal.
In an effort to regain momentum, Clark hit a beautiful 30-yard strike that had the 12th Man rising to its feet. The shot nearly caught the Baylor goalkeeper off guard but sailed just above the goal, keeping the score locked at 0-0.
Moments later, Baylor nearly broke the deadlock off another dangerous free kick from Staubach. The ball travelled toward the net with precision but junior transfer GK Erica Defferding, formerly of Incarnate Word, made an outstanding one-handed save and deflected the shot over the crossbar.
Baylor threatened to break the deadlock as Staubach attacked the right flank, whipping a dangerous cross toward junior M Aryana Jimison. Just as it seemed destined to become an assist, Defferding came up big once again, cutting off the delivery and keeping the Aggies alive.
3rd 30 minutes
If the first 60 minutes had lacked fireworks, the final 30 minutes sure delivered. Within the first four minutes of returning from stoppage, the Aggies and the Bears had exchanged two shots each, setting the stage for a thrilling last thirty minutes.
Junior F Leah Diaz, a former Tulsa Golden Hurricane, wanted to make a name for herself on her debut for the Maroon and White, generating back-to-back-to-back chances with ten minutes to go that fell short of breaking the tie.
With just five minutes left to go, lightning struck for the Bears in a scary similar fashion to last season’s encounter.
Junior M Skylar Zinnecker, who was quiet for most of the match, showcased her technical ability with a brilliant display of footwork, shaking off her defender before delivering a perfectly placed cross. Junior M Therese McCullough was able to head the back towards the back of the net and give the Bears the lead.
Zinnecker was not done just yet, as she continued terrorizing the Aggie defense. Two minutes later, on the same right flank, the Austin native sped past her defender and delivered a stupendous cross finding McCullough for another finish. However, the goal was ruled offside, much to the relief of Guerrieri’s squad.
A&M pushed numbers to the attack in search of the equalizer while risking leaving defensive gaps during transition. The Bears took full advantage of the Aggies aggressiveness with two minutes left to go, as Isgrig dribbled to the top of the box and hit a top-corner banger to seal the deal and make the final score 2-0 in favor of Baylor.
Next up
Texas A&M will host Dallas Baptist University and Sam Houston University in a doubleheader at Ellis Field next Saturday, March 29th as they continue their 2025 spring schedule.
