No. 21 Texas A&M suffers first loss, falls to TCU, 2-1, in final minutes

No. 21 Texas A&M fell short against TCU in Thursday’s match at Ellis Field, 2-1.

It was a tough battle for the Aggies as they took their first loss of the season.

“In the first half, we got off to a really rocky start,” A&M head coach G Guerrieri said. “I was pleased with the way that we were able to get ourselves under control to take the lead. At the end, they scored off of our goal kick, besides that, I was so proud of our players I thought they played great.

“It’s a tough loss, and if we are going to lose, we are going to lose to good solid teams, and TCU is a good team.” 

An aggressive battle ensued between the two teams in the opening minutes of the game, with both showing strength on defense — making it difficult to score on either side.

The first shot on goal went to TCU at the 5-minute mark as freshman forward Seven Castain attempted to score from the bottom center.

Tough on defense for the Aggies was senior goalkeeper Kenna Caldwell to pick up the save. 

Sophomore forward MaKhiya McDonald attempted to answer with a shot-on-goal in the 16th minute. Junior goalkeeper Lauren Kellett stopped the play and collected the first of her five saves for the Frogs. 

In the 25th minute, sophomore forward Maile Hayes opened up scoring for the Aggies after placing a free kick outside the box into the bottom left corner of the goal.

“I’ve kind of been on a dry spell, getting back from injury,” Hayes said. “It’s like hard work pays off every time you score a goal.”

Just before halftime, TCU forward Tyler Isgrig responded with a goal in the 40th minute off an assist from Lauren Memoly. Caldwell attempted to make the save after quickly shifting to the left but was ultimately unsuccessful. 

Brooke Homfeld, TexAgs

Despite owning the edge in shots-on-goal (6-5), Texas A&M only scored once.

In the second half, the intensity and grit continued to grow, with both squads not letting up defensively and picking up several fouls in the process.

“They are very talented, very tough and technical forwards. I think we did well with the battles we had,” A&M defender Katie Smith said. “This is just a really intense matchup for us each year, especially last year since we lost to them for the first time.”

Sophomore forward Camryn Lancaster gave the Frogs the lead in the 86th minute of the match to win the game. 

The Aggies fought hard until the end but could not answer offensively in the game's final minutes. 

“TCU has some really talented players, the way that they can attack and the way that they can keep the ball is terrific,” Guerrieri said. “It was a great game, and you can’t do anything but tip your hat off to TCU for being able to come back and this is a tough lesson for us to learn, but we’ll have to turn around pretty quick and get back on the winning track Sunday.”

The Aggies continue their four-match homestand on Sunday as they host South Alabama at 1 p.m. CT.