What had happened to this program!

Left too many scraps on the table

We may sneak in to the tourney still but way too many Coaching and lineup errors by Coach G

He has been awful these last 2 years

alamoaggie64 said:

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"The Scottish guys is gonna keep crying how Miss State is hurt when we literally lost, Taylor Pounds, Lauren Gezcik, Ali Russell, and don't have Cornog for today"


With about 30 minutes to go in the game he was talking about one of the MSU players. He said he would love to see her get the game ball.

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He is a goal keeper coach and refused to acknowledge that Caldwell was fouled and the ball was knocked out oher hands

He is buddies with the Miss State coach and prob trains their Keeper

This game was a microcosm of the season. Usually have the run of play and the better chances in front of goal and just cannot finish them, while the backline gives up two cheap goals that should never have happened. Losing to an injury-riddled MSU team and riding a three game losing streak to them is not acceptable for this program. Yes, Cornog is out with injury and might have made a difference on our corners, but you can't ask for much more than 3 point blank chances in front of goal and kicking two of them high over the bar and another blocked by the GK in the only place it could have been blocked. A&M outshot MSU 29-9 and, outside of about 15 minutes, spent most of the game in MSU's half of the field.

Over the last 6 game unbeaten streak, the Aggies have been able to consistently finish in front of goal and were mostly efficient with the ball. Hayes had become lethal and others were also finishing chances. Tonight, we reverted to the team that opened SEC play 0-4. Hayes had two painful misses, an easy finish pushed over the bar and then another late in the match on a long run upfield ended with a high shot over the bar when a simple low driving shot across the GK would have scored. Either one of those wins the match. McDonald had a simple finish that just needed a shot lifted about 2 feet off the ground to get past the GK's sliding leg but she couldn't do it. The one goal we did score with four minutes left for the equalizer was a great effort play from Jai Smith to cross the ball across to Pante for a tap in goal. You just aren't going to win matches if you can't finish your easy chances. And that's what is holding this team back the last two seasons.

The team was really fighting hard over the last 20+ minutes and OT, but tired legs may have finally gotten to us in the second OT. The first goal by MSU probably should have been save by Caldwell, although I've seen similar plays called fouls this season. The second goal was sloppy defense, but it did look like the Bulldogs were offside when it was fist kicked, although we never saw a good angle to be sure. The backline and GK seem to make the difficult saves but then switch off and give up silly ones that should never happen. This has been the theme the last two years with little change. It's like we find ways to lose games, much like our current football team does as well.

So it's been another disappointing season and we finished with another losing conference record overall (3-5-3), however, at 9-6-5 and an RPI currently at #37 (depending on how the remaining conference tourneys finish), it is likely that A&M will be selected for a berth in the NCAA tournament. We will most likely be sent on the road in the first round, so it could be a quick exit unfortunately. If we are not selected for the tourney, or with a first round loss, it's hard not to believe that this is a program in decline. We are improved from last year's disastrous losing team, but we're only marginally better. Coach G and Phil need to do some soul searching, think about making some major adjustments to their training and development, and hit the transfer portal hard to shore up the back line and another reliable striker in front of goal. Next year will be a critical season to determine if we can right the ship and compete for titles again, or if we're going to continue a similar downward trajectory that led to the demise of a once great Florida program.

I had not tracked G's extension in the spring. I think overall he has built a solid program and down years are expected over a tenure of just under 30 years. I also think you have to credit him with the uplift in overall SEC competition: he paced the field for years. Now he's being challenged by programs that rode his coattails. Believe it or not: that's a good problem to have since good competition makes everyone better.

The ability to respond to goals with goals has been probably the toughest shortcoming. We have quality defenders. But Miss St spent too much time with the ball in our end. I HATE complaining about officiating because it "is what it is" during the game and changes to it really are difficult to achieve during the season and require the same kind of training and teaching that running a program takes and also depend on regional tributaries of officiating that are both broad and local.

I thought we had the game. But we kept playing catch up and once again eagerness in ball handling didn't translate into accuracy. Plus Miss St was aggressive and physical. They played our game against us: defending with physicality and pushing the ball forward in counters. We are better at that game and quicker, usually. But today they played the better match. Kudos to them for holding serve with a notionally tiny seed advantage. Not easy against a perennial winning program.

Hope we get our chance to dance. Think we will. But didn't close strong in the season and didn't show poise (though more than LSU, I would argue.) Just need full credit for our ooc schedule. I think selection committees tend to undervalue tough contests, but so far soccer hasn't done that with us. Here's for fair evaluation during selection again.

The knowledgeable observers here recognized early in the season the important deficiencies of this team. Their consistent assessments of failings were accurate, and G and the players could not overcome them.

The program appears to be in a very concerning decline, given the poor results of the past two years. G is widely recognized as an excellent coach, but I fear his time has passed to become great. The transfer portal may be our best source of immediate, seasoned talent, but that approach to patching holes in the roster does not intuitively impress as a consistent, winning strategy.

Elite recruits desire to compete for national championships. Presently, our program cannot make that claim, because history strongly indicates that the Sweet 16 or Elite 8 is the ceiling, with one anomaly.

G has had an outstanding run at TAMU, and the countless players built a wonderful legacy. Perhaps this season is not yet over, and an opportunity for a miraculous run in the NCAA tourney can turn coal into a diamond. A wise classmate of mine told me that hope is an Aggie fan's best friend, so we may always look optimistically toward "next year." I have learned to agree.

I will leave the determination of recommending soccer program solution(s) to the knowledgeable posters here. Like so many Aggies, I will continue to strongly support the program and, especially, the individual players. My thanks, admiration, and affection flow copiously to the players on this year's team for their courage, determination, grit, and having given their all in every game, only to be often disappointed.

I cannot recall when Aggie "fuotball" has been a painful, compound injury.

Well I hope he is wrong