Some of these near misses have me feeling our goal is cursed.

At some point, I think our opponent could put an extra attacker on the field because there's about a 2% chance we're actually gonna put one on frame with our shot.

6 shots on goal, including the PK

Margo and Aydsen need to start, Smith needs to be starting…

xcaggie08 said:

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taylorswift13 said:

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xcaggie08 said:

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Confetti all over the field seems a little too much? Is it always that much?

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not enough

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Haha, definitely wish we had more occasion to shoot it off! Haven't watched as much in the last few years as I used to but don't remember seeing it all over the playing field like that.

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We pass out a lot more for the fish camp game. Trying to build the atmosphere, make it fun. Get them to come back. We needed the cooperation of the team. I expected more goals.

AggieCrew44 said:

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Gap said:

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At some point, I think our opponent could put an extra attacker on the field because there's about a 2% chance we're actually gonna put one on frame with our shot.

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We put a ton on frame tonight. Like a bunch

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Stats say 6 in the night.

There were at least 3 goals there in the 2nd half a reasonable shot on frame would have resulted in a goal for us.

At some point it stops being bad luck. Another poor result. Starting 0-2-1 is just a smidge up from worst case scenario. Lots of teams getting signature road RPI points against us.

Through 3 games Sammy Smith has played only 6 minutes more than Andersen Williams. Our best play appears to be to get the ball to Maile Hayes in the box and see if she gets fouled.

Addy started. Margo has a ton of potential, but gave up a goal vs FSU, a PK vs WSU and almost gave up a goal today. She needs to develop. Our issue is we are playing with desperation, not possessing and passing well, (we have more than a few players who complete less than 50% of their passes and are turnover machines) and we are not finishing. So many athletes and so little cohesion. It is maddening.

I don't get to watch many of our games but it seems like after the first 10 minutes or so we just kicked the ball relatively aimlessly most of the time. When we did possess the ball we were kicking the ball towards each other instead of placing our passes and clearing the ball without even looking up to see if anyone was there. And holy hell we can't shoot. The early 2000s teams were so good at possessing the ball and making passes and it felt like if we got 5 SOG then we'd have 3 goals.

Even our throw ins were just thrown at a teammate. We lost possession on at least 2 or 3 throwins just because we threw the ball to the defender side of the player.

There is a lot of talent on This team but we have a lot of room for improvement. This game shouldn't have even been close. But on to the next game.

A&M came out quickly tonight, attacking in the first 10 minutes and it looked like we would score the opener with the momentum of a huge crowd of 6,700. Mia Pante had three nice attacking runs into the box, crossing two (one of which Wilkinson should have scored) and missing a shot to the near post. Despite the good start, the Bears had some good possession and, unfortunately, when we didn't make a tackle in the midfield, it resulted in a Baylor attacker splitting two A&M midfielders and making a perfect pass into the box for an easy put away and the 1-0 lead. And the lead nearly held up until a PK call with 15 minutes to go gave Maile Hayes the much-deserved goal and ensured a tie in a game that had A&M lost, it would have been devastating for the season.

This was another game where A&M dominated large chucks of the match with many chances in front of goal. We hit the crossbar twice, the post at least once, and completely whiffed on a few from 5 yards out that would have won the match. The players are there to have a good season, but the coaches are making it difficult to find the right lineup with some players out of position. This makes it hard to find a rhythm when the pass completion percentage is so low. However, finally, with about 20 minutes left, Hayes was place up top with McDonald, and Sam Smith was in the attacking midfield with Pante on the other side. That's when A&M started to dominate on the Baylor half of the field and looked dangerous the rest of the game. Let's hope this is the starting lineup going forward. I'd also play 4 in the midfield since we struggle to control enough possession there without turning it over. It's ridiculous to me that Smith isn't starting yet. She's clearly better than at least two of the starting midfielders, she is very savvy on the ball and can actually shoot on target. Why is this so difficult? Give this group a chance to gel and I think we see an effective and consistent attack the rest of the season. McDonald was good early but faded a bit because I think she was nicked up at some point. With her and Pante attacking from opposite sides, that's a lot of pressure on opposing defenses.

The back line was okay overall, but there are still some marking issues and inexperience that is hurting the group. I still think the Matulas should play inside (although Cornog played well tonight and Margo needs to develop), with Calzada (who had a good match with several nice runs into attack) and Armenta on the outside. There were a few nervy moments late in the match, one of which probably should have been scored by Baylor off a silly restart by A&M on a free kick, but thankfully Caldwell was there to make a save.

But the bottom line is that A&M has played 3 home games, two of which were against beatable opponents that we dominated the run of play, and we didn't win a game. We really need a run of wins now until we hit SEC play so we have some momentum going into the crucial stretch of the season. There is still potential to have a good season, but we have to start taking our chances in front of goal, because against the better teams we face we won't have as many opportunities to score.

Disappointing start to say the least. BUT, there is optimism with a few personnel adjustments the team can be more competitive.

1. Thank goodness Hayes was back to playing the 9. Let's keep her there (75+ mins) the rest of the year!
2. Cornog-made a couple nice step up players and created offense from winning balls higher. Let's put her back higher in the formation at holding mid where she can create more offense.
3. With Cornog moving up in the formation, Margo goes back to center def. Let her play through her mistakes. She brings athleticism and ball winning capabilities (we need both).
4. Let's play Smith for 75+ mins please

What I saw were the same issue as the last game (possession, defensive break down, and finishing). Finishing is a major issue. We outshot Baylor 22-6 with only 6 shots being on goal and our only goal is off a pk. This is the same issue we had last year. Moving Hayes up top created more opportunities to score. I'd like to see Smith get into the starting line up with McDonald on the other side.
The goal we gave up started with Pounds. She left her player in the middle of the field to double team a player on the outside. The ball goes back to the player she should be marking. A runner goes through the middle and no one picks her up for the goal. Backline needs to improve communication on picking up players and staying goal side of them. Pounds is undisciplined playing the holding position. She plays all over the field as if she were an attacking mid when she is the lone holding mid. Many times she was caught out of position when Baylor was attacking. She shouldn't be playing the full 90. I would put Leb in as the starting holding. This team was better last season when she took over for Pounds. She had a solid game last night. Her corners and free kicks are also a positive of her being on the field.
I thought possession was somewhat improved. We cut down a bit on the long ball, but still more than I'd like to see. Pante struggled, she tried to do to much and often turned the ball over. Armenta turned the ball over quite a bit when pressed tonight. Did Geczik get injured? Still need to get Calzada playing outside back. Coaches have to be feeling some pressure after this game. So much talent and they can't make it work. They have to make some adjustments to this lineup. Tulsa should be the teams first W. Winning the TCU game could turn around the season.

Completely agree. Calzada is better on the wing and has a tendency to go up the field too much leaving us vulnerable to counterattack (like Katie Smith last year).

At holding mid we need more discipline in terms of shape and possession. Offensive production would be a plus.

I heard a few shocking things in the post-game interviews.

1. Both Hayes and Calzada said they were happy and proud that the team didn't give up a goal at the end (and thus lose) after they'd equalized. That's a defeatist mindset. I sure would prefer to hear that they were disappointed they didn't get the winner, as opposed being proud of not losing.
2. Coach G cited the "short" preseason (two weeks, he said) as the reason the team hasn't gelled and hasn't gotten wins. But that same preseason applies to the teams that have beaten the Aggies. Why are those teams better prepared to win?
3. Coach G also cited the heat. But shouldn't the Aggies be better prepared than FSU or WSU to play in that heat? And certainly Baylor shouldn't be better prepared for it than A&M.