Cow Town disaster saddles A&M with another head-scratching loss

In a match delayed nearly an hour due to a lightning delay, Texas A&M ultimately lost to TCU in Fort Worth by a late goal, 1-0.

“It's another tough lesson for us to learn, and we got to be able to learn from it, get home and get back in front of our crowd on Thursday night to try to get back in the win column,” said head coach G Guerrieri.

Starting off the game with aggression was TCU’s Brenna Brosam as she earned a yellow card for fouling MaKhiya McDonald in the first minute. By the end of the game, each side accumulated seven fouls.

By the end of the first half, the Aggies had four shots with three on frame, while the Horned Frogs had five shots with three on goal. Half of the Maroon & White’s shots in the opening 45 minutes were by Maile Hayes.

In the 56th minute, TCU nearly found an icebreaker after Carolyn Calzada fouled AJ Hennessey near the corner flag.

The free kick was hit out of the goal mouth by Kenna Caldwell, and the ensuing corner led to a shot by Oli Pena that deflected off the woodwork.

Chris Swann, TexAgs

The last time A&M was held scoreless by a non-conference foe was a 0-0 draw at Ohio State on Sept. 4, 2022.

Later in the second half, Camryn Lancaster crossed the ball as Caldwell mistimed her dive, but Margo Matula cleared the ball out of the goalbox. The ball from Lancaster was likely the best chance  TCU had up to that point.

With just 11 minutes to play, A&M was gifted a golden chance to steal the match.

A&M’s Sammy Smith was fouled in the box by Remini Tillotson, leading to a penalty kick.

However, Hayes was denied by goalkeeper Lauren Kellett twice — once on the penalty kick itself and again on the rebound. Hayes is now two for three on penalty kicks this season.

“You got to give the TCU goalkeeper a ton of credit because she was basically standing on her head in the second half,” Guerrieri said. ”She saves a penalty kick, saves a rebound that we think we would have knocked in and she saves that.”

If failing to convert from the spot staggered the Aggies, the 87th minute knocked them out.

Off of a scramble in A&M’s box, Seven Castain tapped the ball into Caldwell’s net for the match’s only marker.

It is now the third time in five matches that a late goal has sunk the Aggies. Then-No. 6 Florida State beat A&M with an 86th-minute goal, and Washington State escaped Ellis thanks to a 79th-minute winner last month.

The Aggies outshot TCU 12-7, including seven shots on goal to the Frogs’ four. It marks the fourth time this year A&M has outshot its opponent.

“I thought that we again did an incredible job of creating chances,” Guerrieri said.

However, the Aggies are 1-2-1 when hold the advantage in shots.

While improving its shots-to-shots-on-goal ratio is commendable, A&M’s inability to find much to show for that effort is concerning.

Slumping to 1-3-1 overall and conference play still ahead, the Aggies’ margin for error is already getting smaller and smaller in order to make the postseason.

The Maroon & White will return to Aggieland to take on Grambling State on Thursday, Sept. 7, at 7 p.m.