Texas A&M earned a win on the road over Tennessee for the first time in the program’s history on Friday night, thanks to goals from freshman Lauren Geczik and senior Addie McCain.
The match was thoroughly physical from the start, with each team racking up 11 fouls by the end of the 90 minutes.
Despite a sloppy first 15 minutes, the Aggies began to take control of the match, opening scoring in the 26th minute. Geczik’s pressing effort forced a backpass to the Volunteers’ goalkeeper who tried to dribble around A&M’s forward. Geczik subsequently won the ball and tapped it in easily from close range for her first collegiate goal.
Geczik extended her team’s lead in the 38th minute after Karlina Sample’s pass slipped through the Tennessee defense and found its way to the forward. Geczik then made no mistakes with her finish, cooly slotting into the bottom corner to send the Aggies into halftime with a two-goal lead.
A&M continued to impose its will in the second half, adding another goal in the 58th minute. After a Barbara Olivieri corner was initially cleared, Taylor Ziemer delivered a wonderful cross to McCain who deftly redirected the ball into the back of the Volunteers’ net.
Tennessee was able score a consolation goal in the 82nd minute after A&M goalkeeper Jordan Burbank parried Mackenzie George’s shot into the path of Erin Gilroy who only had to tap-in from six yards.
With the win, the maroon and white finally earned three points at Regal Field in Knoxville, Tenn., pushing the all-time record to 6-2 in favor of the Volunteers. On the season, the Aggies improve to a 4-1-0 record while the Volunteers fall to 2-3-1.
A&M head coach G Guerrieri was full of praise for Geczik, who scored her first two goals in an A&M shirt.
“We are happy for LG to get her first and second career goals,” Guerrieri said. “She’s a hard worker and she’s really smart. So it’s especially nice to see her hard, smart work pay off.”
The Aggies return to the pitch on Friday, Oct. 30, against Alabama at the Alabama Soccer Stadium in Tuscaloosa. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.