Soccer: #6 A&M and #21 South Carolina ends 2-2 after double overtime

The Aggies had a conference championship in their grasp for 89 minutes.
 
After 33 minutes of scoreless action, a South Carolina free kick rode the wind, landed six yards short of the goal, and shot in for a 1-0 lead. Ten minutes later, Janae Cousineau extended her hot play of late and capitalized on one of the few opportunities A&M had by finishing a brilliant corner kick off the foot of Liz Keester.
 
They didn’t waste any time taking the lead after halftime. 13 seconds after the clock started rolling, Kelley Monogue snuck a shot from the edge of the penalty box just inside the right post. 2-1 Aggies. They maintained that lead and prevented the Gamecocks from having any legitimate chances for the next 44 minutes.
 
One minute from closing out South Carolina and starting the celebration, Stevi Parker popped the balloon with a bullet from 20 yards out. Coach Guerrieri spoke about the equalizer after the game, “It was a heck of a shot. She hit it clean and our midfield took a few seconds off and let her hit a shot. I don’t know if Jordan even saw it until it was past her.” Both teams went scoreless through two 10-minute overtimes and the final outcome was a 2-2 draw.
 
While it may have felt like a loss, the team knows what still lies ahead and the caliber of the Gamecock team they just played. “We knew they weren’t going to quit and they didn’t. To lose the lead in the last minute is hard to swallow, but we gained a point and can still win Thursday and be outright champions.” Guerrieri went on to talk about how his team felt coming in, “The game was indicative of us both playing on Friday night. When you play an athletic team like they are and we are, it makes it a tough grind for these kids. Probably due to fatigue, it makes it hard to complete things like an extra pass.”
 
Shea Groom was optimistic as well about the chance this team still has, “Today they wanted it a little bit more, but that does not mean we are going to lay down and quit. We have an opportunity to win this conference and we’re going to get our minds right and win this conference on Thursday.”
 
The Aggies final conference game against Georgia will be Thursday at seven. A&M will be looking to clinch their second consecutive SEC championship on senior night at Ellis Field in front of what will surely be a strong 12th man.