Two overtimes later, the score was still knotted.
On Friday, Oct. 15, Texas A&M soccer took on its SEC West rival, the Alabama Crimson Tide, at Ellis Field in College Station for the squad’s annual Senior Night Game.
After two extra periods, the teams had to settle with a 1-1 draw. Neither squad was able to draw blood in the game’s opening 45 minutes, but both schools had chances. The Tide held a 6-5 edge in shots and a 4-2 edge in corner kicks in the opening half, but the Aggies maintained a 3-1 edge in saves to keep the visiting team at bay.
Things heated up almost immediately in the second half, with sophomore midfielder Barbara Olivieri scoring a goal in the 46th minute. The goal was Olivieri’s fourth of the season and was assisted by freshmen Mia Pante and Malie Hayes.
The lead did not last as long as the Aggies would have hoped, as Alabama sophomore midfielder Kate Henderson scored a goal off an assist by sophomore Felicia Knox in the 57th minute.
The tally remained stagnant through the end of regulation, and the squads headed to overtime. During the two overtime periods, neither team was able to break the tie, leading to a 1-1 draw.
Both teams finished with 15 total shots on the night. The squads also commanded a physical style of play, as the Aggies held a 16-4 lead in fouls and the Crimson Tide was handed three yellow cards.
Each team relied on a single goalkeeper for the entirety of the match. Junior Kenna Caldwell guarded the net for the maroon and white, securing six total saves in the match. Graduate student McKinley Crone was given goalkeeping duties for the Tide and totaled four saves.
Each of the team’s head coaches had different takeaways from the evening.
Alabama head coach Wes Hart said he is never satisfied with a draw, but was satisfied with the team’s intensity nonetheless.
“I am pleased with our performance tonight,” Hart said. “I thought we played well. Really happy with our response after going down early in the second half. Kate [Henderson] scored a great goal to equalize. I would have liked to leave here with three points, but we will certainly take the point and move on.”
Alternatively, A&M head coach G Guerrieri said he would have liked to see the Aggies close out the Tide after scoring first in the second half, but he added that he understands the young team is still learning how to manage those situations.
“Unfortunately, when you have a whole front line of freshmen and sophomores, those are things where they are learning on the fly,” Guerrieri said. “We’ve got to be able to get those into the game and make it a part of their vocabulary so that they understand the importance of every moment in the 90 minutes — and tonight, an added 20.”
The draw moves A&M to 6-7-2 overall and 2-4-1 in Southeastern Conference play, while Alabama moves to 8-7-1 overall and 3-3-1 in SEC competition.
The maroon and white continue its season on Thursday, Oct. 21 against Mississippi State at MSU Soccer Field in Starkville, Miss. The match is set to kick off at 6 p.m.
