No. 8 Texas A&M beats Auburn to earn share of SEC regular-season crown

Champions.

No. 8 Texas A&M (7-1) ended the regular season with a 2-0 win over the No. 15 Auburn Tigers (3-3-2). Freshman Barbara Olivieri and senior Addie McCain both scored to lead the Aggies to victory. With the win, Texas A&M earned a share of the regular-season SEC title along with Arkansas.

“With how crummy 2020 has been, these girls have made this year special to me,” said head coach G Guerrieri following the match. “They have made so many sacrifices this year, and getting to lift a trophy at home is a really good feeling.”

However, this particular trophy was not handed to the Aggies. The Tigers hoped to play spoiler and came out with a very physical first half of soccer.

Scoring chances were hard to come by, but a golden chance was missed by Texas A&M in the 26th minute.

After Barbara Olivieri was fouled in the box, senior Jimena Lopez’s penalty pick went just left of the net. That miss and other blown chances from both teams kept the match at a scoreless draw at the break.

Lopez and Guerrieri both credited the players for issuing halftime speeches and coming together as a team.

“This is a unique opportunity,” said Lopez. “Having a chance to lift a championship trophy at home is what we all came to Texas A&M for.”

Following early in the second-half chances, the Aggies finally broke through in the 67th minute.

Lopez fed a beautiful pass to Barbara Olivieri, who snuck a shot under the keeper’s arms for the match’s first score. Olivieri finished the season with four straight home games with a goal.

However, the celebration couldn’t begin as the Aggies needed insurance with Auburn extending their high press and trying to force turnovers after A&M’s first goal.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

The Aggies were able to beat Auburn’s high press and score twice in the victory on Monday afternoon at Ellis Field.

With both sides grinding it out, senior Addie McCain found the dagger, scoring off a corner in the 83rd minute. After Lopez's initial header hit the crossbar, McCain found herself in position to get the rebound with a glaring net in front of her. McCain finished with a header of her own.

McCain expressed post-game how special it was to win an SEC regular-season championship this particular year.

“It’s been a while since Texas A&M has been able to win a championship,” McCain said. “Everything we had to endure this year just makes this feeling to us even more special.”

After dropping the second game of the season, Texas A&M is scorching hot and will be riding a six-game win streak heading into the quarterfinal round of the SEC Tournament.

“We have business to take care of,” Guerrieri said. “There’s an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament on the line, and obviously, we are in the tournament with the only team that beat us.”

SEC Tournament begins on Friday, November 13, in Orange Beach, Alabama. Texas A&M has earned the #3 seed and will play Tuesday, November 17, at 2:30 p.m. against either #6 Ole Miss, #11 Alabama or #14 LSU.