News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
The Texas A&M Aggies continue the back stretch of the SEC slate with Thursday’s match against the No. 6 South Carolina Gamecocks. Match time at Ellis Field is 7 p.m.
The soccer version of the Bonham Trophy battle has been tightly contested from the beginning. The Aggies own a 7-5-3 advantage in the series and 13 of the 15 matches have been decided by one goal or less. Historically a defensive kerfuffle, neither team has scored more than two goals in a match and six times the final score has been 1-0. Last season the teams played to a 0-0 draw in Columbia. The teams combined for just four shots-on-goal in the match.
Through six SEC matches, Texas A&M has already surpassed its conference goal total from all last season. The early offensive production marks a step forward for the Aggies in league play. Ireland Churchill has a pair of SEC goals while Trinity Buchanan, Lucy Landherr, Morgan Landry and Ciara Jade Mitchell have one apiece.
Buchanan and Churchill are tied for fifth on the SEC leaderboard for goals this season with seven apiece. The duo shares the team scoring lead with 17 point each.
The Aggies have been on the hard-luck end of numerous close decisions this season. The Maroon & White are 2-6 in matches decided by one goal.
The Gamecocks are 11-1-1 on the season, including 5-0-1 in SEC play. South Carolina has played stout defense, yielding just six matches on the season and allowing a miniscule 2.92 shots-on-goal per game. The Gamecocks enter the fray with a four-match shutout streak, and they have nine shutouts on the season.
Sydney Middaugh leads the South Carolina with 12 points on five goals and two assists while Ava Tutas contributes 10 points on four goals and two assists.