Texas A&M soccer picked up its first conference win on the road Sunday, Oct. 9, against No. 20 Ole Miss, 2-1.
A&M received goals from redshirt sophomore Laney Carroll and sophomore forward Maile Hayes on the way to victory. The lone Ole Miss goal came from a penalty kick from senior forward Mo O’Connor. The Aggies recorded seven shots on goal while the Rebels tallied only three.
“To come in and win on their home patch is something that I am really proud of with this team,” coach G Guerrieri said. “We’re the youngest team in this league, and you can see them maturing every single game.”
The Aggies came into Oxford, Miss., searching for their first win in conference play and an important three points for qualifying for the SEC Tournament. The Aggies were coming off a 2-2 draw at home against LSU in a game they once led 2-0. For the home side, the Rebels were looking to respond after dropping its last two matches and stay inside the top 25.
The first chance to score in the match came for the Rebels in the 14th minute when O’Connor’s shot from 10 feet outside the box forced senior goalkeeper Kenna Caldwell to her left to make a save for the Aggies.
A&M threatened to score in the 18th minute after a chip shot outside the box from freshman midfielder Sydney Becerra caused senior goalkeeper Ashley Orkus to jump up to make the save for the Rebels.
The Aggies had another chance on goal in the 32nd minute when redshirt freshman forward Andersen Williams received the ball in the box, but her shot went just wide left of the goal.
At halftime, the match was tied 0-0 with each team having recorded one shot on goal.
A&M did not wait after halftime to try and score, as in the 46th minute, junior midfielder Kate Colvin made a good run into the box before dishing the ball off to Hayes, in front of goal, who could not get the ball past the kick save from Orkus.
The Aggies threatened once more in the 54th minute as a hard shot from sophomore defender Mia Pante 20 feet outside the box missed just left of the goal.
Sophomore midfielder Carissa Boeckmann threatened in the 55th minute with a shot on goal, but Orkus made the save with ease as she broke the career saves record at Ole Miss with 298.
A&M got the scoring started in the 60th minute as Hayes’ run and cross set up Carroll in front of the net for her first goal of the year to put the Aggies in front 1-0.
“I think Maile [Hayes] did an awesome job getting in line and cutting it back, and she just set it on a platter for me,” Carroll said.
Ole Miss looked to answer the A&M goal in the 68th minute as junior midfielder Stella Downing curled a shot in from outside the box forcing Caldwell to make the jump save for A&M.
Carroll almost scored her second of the game for A&M in the 77th minute, but her shot from the left of the goal inside the box with her left foot went straight into the hands of Orkus. In the 78th minute, Carroll tried once more from the left side of the goal, but her shot, this time from her right foot, went wide right of the net.
Ole Miss was able to equalize in the 85th minute after a questionable foul inside the box from graduate defender Karlina Sample led to a penalty kick. O’Connor’s shot to the right of the goalkeeper made it 1-1 as Caldwell dove to her left.
The Aggies showed their toughness late as they were able to pull ahead 2-1 in the 87th minute when Sample, making up for her foul, received a cross inside the box, passing it off to Hayes in front of the net for the match-winning goal.
“Obviously, I was devastated with the call, it was a 50-50 ball, obviously I didn’t mean to hit her in the head,” Sample said after her foul, leading to the Rebel equalizer and then providing the assist for the Aggie winner. “It was something we’ve been talking about all season, it’s just how you respond when things don’t go your way.”
With the win, the Aggies improved to 7-5-3 overall and 1-4-1 in the SEC. A&M picked up three crucial road points to help keep its hopes of traveling to Pensacola, Fla., at the end of the month alive. Ole Miss falls to 9-3-2 overall and 3-3-0 in conference play.
The maroon and white will be back in action for an important home match against Auburn on Friday, Oct. 14.