Aggies eye important Friday match in Oxford as stretch run looms
Overcoming and underperforming.
These two traits are seemingly intertwined for Texas A&M soccer.
After a week of dichotomous results against Auburn (W, 4-1) and Texas (L, 2-0), G Guerrieri’s Maroon & White (7-5, 2-2) travel to Oxford to play Ole Miss (5-8, 0-4) on Friday. Kick off is set for 7 p.m. CT.
Heading into Rebel territory, the Ags’ main focus will be finishing and their in-the-box performance.
“The result at Austin was kind of uncharacteristic,” Guerrieri said on Monday. “First half, we went behind on some unfortunate bounces, and then the second half, I was pleased with the way that we came out. We had the majority of the chances. Their goalkeeper played very, very well, and they finished their opportunities. We didn't, and we went out of there without the points.”
Friday presents a similar puzzle that the Aggies couldn’t solve at Texas.
Ole Miss senior goalkeeper Shu Ohba will likely be another deciding factor of the night. Ohba is a seasoned Rebel who has proven difficult to get past at a distance.
However, the Japanese national sports a 1.40 goals-against average and a .778 save percentage.
But success in goal is not uncommon for the Rebels. According to Guerrieri, Oxford has been the home of first-team All-SEC goalkeepers for many years.
“Ole Miss is a team that has had their problems in the league [this season],” Guerrieri said. “They haven't won a match yet in the SEC. (Shu Ohba is an) excellent goalkeeper on the Japanese national team and played in the Olympics this summer. She is one of if not the best goalkeepers in the league.”
Similarly, A&M’s goal is not one to overlook, either.
Freshman goalkeeper Sydney Fuller’s range in the box, coverage aerially and ball handling will be key for the Aggies as they finish SEC play.
Fuller is 4-4 in eight starts but has posted a quartet of clean sheets.
“Sydney Fuller is someone who, and I've said before, her ceiling is so high,” Guerrieri said. “She's quick. She’s unbelievable in the air. She's got great coordination, great timing. Her psychological view of the game – the way that she sees the game and the way that she stays grounded in herself – is really, really remarkable.
“Syd is very, very methodical in the way that she looks at the game.”
Yet contrasting outcomes make Friday’s somewhat of a must-win for Guerrieri & Co.
On a five-game slide, Ole Miss is 0-4 in SEC play with losses to common opponents Texas and Auburn.
“The game that they just played against Auburn on Sunday, Auburn was trying to beat [Ohba] from outside 25 yards,” Guerrieri said. “It wasn't until the second half, when they were able to get the ball into the box and score from inside 12 yards that they really were able to finish their chances.
“We'll be looking at some of the same issues. We're much better when we're able to take the ball in and get ourselves into scoring chances from cutback crosses or transitions.”
After varying degrees of success in two-match weeks, an upcoming long weekend and one game on Friday offer the Aggies a much-needed recovery window before their final five SEC matches.
Following Friday’s match at Ole Miss, A&M won’t play again until Vanderbilt comes to Ellis Field next Thursday.
The upcoming stretch run will come against five opponents that each have a higher RPI than A&M’s, including top-10 opponents Arkansas and Mississippi State to close the season.
“A lot of these teams are real opportunities for us to make big jumps in our postseason bids,” Guerrieri said. “And big jumps for ourselves in the SEC race. All of this is ahead of us. All of this is there for the taking if we take advantage of what's there for us.”
A&M’s postseason push begins on Friday in Oxford.
The Aggies know what they need to do. All that’s left is laying it out on the field.
“We've talked to the players about this,” Guerrieri said. “We don't want to let things get away from us and slip out of our fingers when you know that you have an opportunity in front of you. You want to take advantage of it.”
