The young players on this team are really exciting. This Olivera and Carroll tandem could be special.

A&M didn't have their A-game tonight but the C-game was enough to beat a pesky Tide squad. First win since 2014 there so it's been a tough out on the road. Early in the game A&M couldn't get into any rhythm or sustained possession as Alabama did a good job of keeping the ball away from A&M and outhustling the Aggies for the first 20 minutes or so. I really think the loss of Ziemer at the holding defensive mid position was a huge adjustment for the box players and we were really struggling to get our footing. The backline was under too much stress early the match and you could tell they were not comfortable at all. A&M did finally start playing better in the latter stages of the first half and most of the second half as well. Thankfully the winning goal came in the first minute on an opportunistic goal by Taylor Pounds.

It was good to see Carroll back in form tonight as she was must faster and more dangerous on the ball than last week for sure. She had a nice finish on a perfectly slotted pass from Olivieri to put the game away. The Tide did a good job on Olivieri for most of the game, but all she needs is a moment to change a game, and she did just that with the assist. Geczik got the start up top with Carroll and I think that will be the lineup the rest of the season and into the Spring season as well. She is just more effective and dangerous on the ball than Russell. I would still be tempted to put Olivieri up top with Carroll as well, but it's understandable to want her in the box formation as well. Tough decision for the coaches.

Caldwell got the start and I thought played pretty well. Her positioning was good and she had a few nice saves as well. I didn't see any major mistakes. I think the coaches are letting each GK have a few games to see if one of them stands out from the other. It has to be either Burbank or Caldwell at this point though. It continues to frustrate me to no end that we continue to make self-inflicted mistakes in the back, which tonight lead to Alabama's only 2 chances of the game. One of them was on Caldwell on a poor pass out to the wing that was intercepted and almost converted. Another one was just poor passing and complacency by the center backs. When will we just kick the ball long to avoid these situations? You don't pass out to the backs unless there is plenty of space and no opposing players around them to steal the ball or to be put under unnecessary pressure. We really have to stop that or it will cost us a game eventually.

Arkansas basically won the West tonight with their win, so A&M cannot finish any better than #3 in the SEC seeding. That means we will most likely have to go through South Carolina to get another shot at the Hogs in the SEC title game. I like this team right now and I do think they could win the tournament for sure if we continue to improve and settle on a GK.

Nice win.

HiddenAg2 said:

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Arkansas basically won the West tonight with their win, so A&M cannot finish any better than #3 in the SEC seeding. That means we will most likely have to go through South Carolina to get another shot at the Hogs in the SEC title game.

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South Carolina beat Arkansas so wouldn't the current seedings be:

(1) South Carolina
(2) Arkansas
(3) Texas A&M

aggiesoccer#1fan said:

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HiddenAg2 said:

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Arkansas basically won the West tonight with their win, so A&M cannot finish any better than #3 in the SEC seeding. That means we will most likely have to go through South Carolina to get another shot at the Hogs in the SEC title game.

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South Carolina beat Arkansas so wouldn't the current seedings be:

(1) South Carolina
(2) Arkansas
(3) Texas A&M

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It would be fun to beat SCAR and Arky at Orange Beach!

HiddenAg2 said:

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Another one was just poor passing and complacency by the center backs. When will we just kick the ball long to avoid these situations? You don't pass out to the backs unless there is plenty of space and no opposing players around them to steal the ball or to be put under unnecessary pressure. We really have to stop that or it will cost us a game eventually.

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This!

I appreciated the courage of our clock burning. My wife feels we are vulnerable to quick strikes and wanted at least one more goal though she liked we executed our defense on offense strategy to move the ball to burn time well.

I want our team to be crisper on passes. We are pretty good against a less experienced team on recovery when we lose a pass, but not losing it would be more wonderfullerest!!!

My personal opinion is that's a chemistry thing. Cant begin to imagine how the current situation has impacted that. But very glad our only dinger was Arkansas and that they took a loss. Need to win this next one!

I watched the game on my Roku which is wirelessly connected to my Suddenlink internet connection, but I do subscribe to ESPN+, which costs about $5 per month. I can watch Aggie soccer and Aggie baseball, so it is well worth it.

aggiesoccer#1fan said:

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HiddenAg2 said:

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Arkansas basically won the West tonight with their win, so A&M cannot finish any better than #3 in the SEC seeding. That means we will most likely have to go through South Carolina to get another shot at the Hogs in the SEC title game.

---

South Carolina beat Arkansas so wouldn't the current seedings be:

(1) South Carolina
(2) Arkansas
(3) Texas A&M

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Yes, that's right. My mistake.

Does anyone know who on our roster is injured and what Is their status?

Top Drawer Soccer mentioned a couple of players this week.

Karlina Sample was named to the Team of the Week:
"D Karlina Sample, Texas A&M: The center back anchored a 2-0 win against Alabama, completing 82% of her passes while aiding the team's shutout."

In a story titled "Best of October" Addie McCain was mentioned:
"Addie McCain, Texas A&M: A consistent chance-creator for the Aggies during October, McCain was a key factor in her team's offense, averaging 1.4 chances created per game in four SEC matches this past month. Along with that, she offered a goal-scoring option, scoring twice. At times, she can be a bit turnover prone, as she lost the ball at least 11 times in all four games. In the final game of the month against Alabama, McCain wasn't as active, but she did complete 85% of her passes as the Aggies held off the Crimson Tide.