It’s time for a rematch against No. 1 in the nation.
Texas A&M soccer hosted Florida State for its first game of the season in August. The tables have turned with the Aggies traveling to Tallahassee, Florida to play the Seminoles in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The garnet and gold completed their first undefeated season with a 16-0-1 record. The only tie was to North Carolina in September with three goals per side. The Maroon and White were far from an unbeaten season with a record of 10-7-4.
In the early season match, Florida State struck first with a goal by senior forward Beata Olsson. The game was equalized for A&M with graduate forward Sammy Smith’s header goal. The Seminoles pulled ahead with a late goal by junior midfielder and forward Taylor Huff.
Late goal losses and poor shot -to-goal ratios were the epitome of Aggie soccer’s season.
A&M totaled 389 shots to 45 goals while its opponents shot nearly half the amount at 196 with 23 goals. Florida State shot 335 times to result in 59 goals. The Aggies need to finish their chances to pull ahead of the best team in the country. That’s easier said than done, but with A&M’s chances mostly beginning from transition, it must make each shot count.
The Maroon and White’s young backline will be tasked with containing senior midfielder Onyi Echegini, Florida State’s leading goal scorer with 13 this season. She played only 59 minutes against A&M in August, but is expected to have more field time if the Maroon and White stay competitive throughout the match.
While senior forward Jazmine Wilkinson is the leading goal scorer for the Aggies with 10, nine other players have two or more goals, sharing the wealth. Every player on the pitch for A&M can score, and that goes all the way back to fifth-year goalkeeper Kenna Caldwell.
Saving 55 shots this season, Caldwell has also gotten on the scoresheet with a free kick from distance against Tulsa in August. Junior and freshman defenders Macy and Margo Matula have played over 3,400 minutes combined as the defense’s most stable assets.
The Aggies and the Seminoles will kickoff at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 17 at the Seminole Soccer Complex and can be streamed on ESPN+.
