FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas – The No. 5 Aggies’ attempt to erase a two-goal deficit came up short as Texas A&M lost a 2-1 decision to No. 9 Arkansas at Razorback Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Trailing by one late in the match, the Aggies had three corner kicks and two shots in final five minutes but were unable score the equalizer.
The final numbers had the Aggies owning the edge in shots (12-10) and corner kicks (6-3) and the shots-on-goal were even at 5-5. The difference in the match turned out to be Arkansas converting on one of their corner kick chances midway through the second half.
The Razorbacks claimed the early lead on a clearance miscue by the A&M defense in the 11th minute to take a 1-0 lead into the intermission against the run of play. The Maroon & White held the 7-4 shot edge at the half.
The Aggies had a golden opportunity to knot the match in the 24th minute when Arkansas was called for a handball in the box. Jimena Lopez got the goalkeeper to guess the wrong way on the penalty kick, but the shot hit the post and crossed the mouth of the goal before going clear of goal on the other post.
Offensively, Addie McCain notched her third goal of the season and Barbara Olivieri tallied her second assist.
With the loss, the Aggies’ mark evened at 1-1-0 while Arkansas improved to 3-0-0.
SCORING SUMMARY
11’ – Arkansas took advantage of an error clearance by the Aggie defense. Anna Podojil gathered the ball on the left touchline and lofted a cross into Parker Goins. Goins chipped a volley over the A&M keeper from just inside the PK spot. ARK 1, A&M 0.
53’ – The Razorbacks scored on the secondary attack off a corner kick. The initial offering was sent into a car wreck of players, including the Aggie netminder, four yards out. The carom found the feet Kayla McKeon seven yards out and she was able to poke it in for the insurance goal. ARK 2, A&M 0.
61’ – Olivieri collected a ball on the left touchline and made a charge to the left corner of the box. She sent the perfect weight on a pass to McCain who collected the ball to the left of the arc and sent a low missile between the keeper and the left post. ARK 2, A&M 1.
UP NEXT
The Aggies return to action next Sunday when they host the Florida Gators for the home opener at Ellis Field. First kick is slated for 1 p.m. on the SEC Network.
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach G Guerrieri
On the result…
“Well, I’m disappointed in not winning or getting a draw in that game. I’m proud of the physical toughness of our players to deal with such a physical opponent and the mental toughness to still be able to keep our heads and play under control with poise and creativity.“
On the difference in the match…
“We had a few unlucky moments that the Hogs will always capitalize upon. We can’t allow them to score against the run of play on a shot that went off their player’s thigh from 15 yards out and floated over our goalkeeper and in off the post, then our captain hits the inside of the post on her penalty kick and it goes along the line but not in. That PK would have equalized the score. Those moments in the first half combined with our keeper dropping a cross and them scoring on the second ball, early in the second half were tough for us to overcome, but our women never gave in or let up.”
On moving forward…
“This game offered a number of teachable moments from us to improve and grow. It was a baptism under fire for some of our freshmen who hadn’t played against a team as physical as the Hogs. We can come home and get ourselves back on track and ready for next weekend’s home game vs Florida.”
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics