Aggies suffer a Music City mauling as Vanderbilt blanks A&M, 6-0

In classic Texas A&M soccer fashion, the Aggies lost 6-0 to a poor Vanderbilt side after a stellar 4-0 win over Ole Miss on Sunday.

“They were collectively hungrier and they hunted the ball really well,” A&M head coach G Guerrieri said. “They were really dangerous in attack. It was one of those nights were everything they hit seemed to find the side netting.”

Vanderbilt hadn’t won by that large of a margin in conference play since an 8-0 win in 2000.

For the Aggies, it was the program’s worst loss since joining the Southeastern Conference in 2012. The previous largest margin of defeat was a 4-0 match with then-No. 18 Tennessee on Oct. 21, 2018.

Simply put: It was a Music City mauling.

A&M’s offense was nowhere to be found while the Commodores lit up the backline of the Maroon & White.

“We were poor in our execution,” Guerrieri said. “Our players picked the wrong night to have a poor performance against a team that was really really sharp. In this league, you can’t have night like that and expect anything other than this outcome.”

The Aggies managed just three shots on target and nine attempted shots. Conversely, Vanderbilt converted six times on the eight cha put on frame. The Commodores finished the match with 16 total shots.

A lackluster performance by Grace McClellan could significantly hurt A&M’s postseason chances significantly, and the lack of goalkeeper change for the Maroon & White bears a question to their depth. McClellan made just two saves, yet Guerrieri never made a swap.

Ella Eggleston scored off a McClellan slip-up in the 26th minute. Fighting the rain and mud, McClellan went to the ground, but the ball escaped her grasp as Eggleston capitalized on the error.

Three minutes later, Amber Nguyen serviced Addie Porter from the circle, who found Rachel Deresky for the second goal in the 29th minute. McClellan attempted to block the shot near the left post, but the ball went wide to the inside of the right.

A third Vanderbilt goal of the night from Abi Brighton forced a defensive change for A&M as the Aggies attempted to bolster their right flank as Olivia Fetzer entered the game in the 39th minute for Adysen Armenta.

“They were really organized in their runs and their services to each other in the box,” Guerrieri said. “They finished off some great goals.”

Trailing 3-0 at halftime, the Commodores were far from finished.

In the 49th minute, McClellan came too far out of her box in an attempt to block another Porter run.

However, Porter dodged the falling goalkeeper and scored in a wide-open net.

Deresky scored in the 58th minute from outside of the goalbox and just past a diving McClellan to complete the brace.

With another mistimed fall in the 81st, McClellan allowed her sixth goal of the night. Caroline Bets headed the ball into the goal with an assist by Brighton.

Now sitting at 6-5-2 overall and a 2-2-1 SEC record at the midway point of league play, A&M is certainly running out of time to turn around its season.

The Aggies will play next against No. 19 Alabama at Ellis on Sunday, Oct. 8, at 6 p.m. The Tide will enter the game 2-2-1 in conference play.

“I’m glad we have another game coming soon so we can try and wash this out of our system as quickly as possible,” Guerrieri said. “We’re playing another top 10 team in the defending league champion, so it’s a chance to prove ourselves in front of the 12th Man.”