Texas A&M surrenders late goal, outlasted by No. 11 Arkansas, 1-0
Despite outplaying the Razorbacks offensively on the stat sheet, Texas A&M soccer dropped its first match in Southeastern Conference play with a 1-0 loss to No. 11 Arkansas at Ellis Field.
The Aggies (5-4-2, 1-1-1) outshot the Hogs 16-9 and put three more attempts on goal (7-4).
Nevertheless, a late lapse proved to be the difference.
“I’m pissed, but I’m proud of the players,” A&M head coach G Guerrieri said.
Jazmine Wilkinson started off with the first two shots-on-goal of the match.
With two Arkansas forwards barrelling down the field towards goalkeeper Grace McClellan, Mia Pante squeezed in between and kicked the ball out of play in the 30th minute to make a crucial defensive stop.
“My legs are feeling it,” Pante said. “I’m probably going to feel it a little bit tomorrow, but I mean I was just trying to work hard, trying to get a goal in the back of the net, try and set a teammate up, try to win my 50-50 battles. I was just trying to do it for the team.”
Maile Hayes’ shot attempt ricocheted off the crossbar in the 60th minute. Nearly on target, Hayes put up three shots on the night.
“We obviously need to finish our chances,” Hayes said. “We hit the crossbar I don’t even know how many times. Not just the crossbar but the inside of the crossbar, which is even worse. So, I think just finishing our chances, staying calm in front of the goal. But I’m really proud.”
Throughout the second half, McClellan went down cramping three times but stayed in through the end of the game. She recorded three saves and held firm against a potent Arkansas offense.
“I thought [McClellan] was terrific, thought she did a good job,” Guerrieri said. “She had cramp problems. That was a problem. We've got to find a solution for that. She had cramp problems on Thursday against Mississippi State, so we've got to get that fixed with our dietitians.”
With another tight defensive matchup on hand, Arkansas broke the ice in the 74th minute when Kennedy Ball scored in traffic on an assist from Bea Franklin.
And just like that, the Aggies couldn’t find an answer and were saddled with the loss.
“The goal came from a lot of traffic in the box, and a little bit of confusion on it,” Guerrieri said. “It will always be a close game.”
Next up, A&M wraps up its current homestand against Ole Miss on Friday for its annual Turn It Gold night in support of Childhood Cancer. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT.