Texas A&M soccer closed up regular season play with a single goal in overtime by junior forward Ally Watt, producing South Carolina’s first SEC loss at the Stone Soccer Stadium since their 2015 season.
South Carolina lived up to their defensive billing as they contained the Aggies in a relatively tame half. Both sides have qualified for the SEC tournament and also earned a bye week before tournament play.
The Aggies did a lot of defending in the second half, as they struggled to keep any of the possession. The final 10 minutes of the game were a major bright spot in a difficult second half as the Aggies, with a much more offensive lineup, were finally able to create some chances. A&M’s best chance of the game came from a cutting run from Watt, though her shot ultimately missed left.
Both teams held each other throughout the full 90 minutes, leading to overtime. The first overtime started without much energy from either team. However, the Aggies nearly found a way past the league’s best defense when senior forward Brittany Crabtree had her shot saved with two minutes remaining. Crabtree had another chance a few seconds later but again her shot was cleared.
The Aggies kept the offensive pressure up as they earned a corner kick with less than a minute remaining. The corner was sent in to the back post to sophomore defender Jordan Hill, who kept her defender off in time for Watt to score the game winner with 17 seconds left in the period.
Head coach G. Guerrieri said this matchup is always an important road game on their schedule, and earning a win is a testament to the team’s hard work.
“I’m proud of the grit we showed tonight,” Guerrieri told 12thman.com. “South Carolina doesn’t give up many goals here at The Graveyard. This is only the second goal they gave up here this season. It was going to take a special effort to win tonight.”
The Aggies stopped a two-game losing streak, finishing with a 15-3-1 record. They will head into the SEC tournament as the sixth seed, beginning tournament play on Tuesday, Oct. 30. Kick-off time is still to be determined.