A&M's season ends with first-round SEC Tournament exit vs. Georgia

And that’s a wrap on Aggie soccer.

In a hard-fought fight, Texas A&M (8-9-2, 3-5-2) fell to Georgia (8-5-6, 3-3-4), 1-0, in the first round of the 2024 SEC Tournament. The loss places the Aggies under a .500 record, ending their season and NCAA postseason contention.

The defending tournament champions entered the match with a bang as a Summer Denigan shot went just wide of the net, catching the Aggies off guard in the first minute of play.

A&M quickly took control of possession, with Sydney Becerra firing one off in the fourth minute. The shot, from within the Georgia box, was saved by Jordan Brown.

Zoe Kelton, TexAgs

Texas A&M will miss this year’s NCAA Tournament after appearing in 28 of the last 29.

This shot was the Ags' first and only on-target shot of the half. 

Though controlling the majority of possession and overtaking in critical moments, the Ags trailed in the first 45 minutes. Their troubles finishing and closing in at goal would resume from the regular season.

Dasia Torbert’s shot in the 11th minute marked Sydney Fuller’s first save of the day. The Aggie defense opened as they excelled in keeping the Bulldogs out of Fuller’s box.

A series of Denigan shots in the 15th and 16th minutes were negated by the Aggie defense. 

An off-target Mia Pante shot in the 19th saw a major Georgia response.

With an assist by Nicole Vernis, Torbert rounded the Aggie defense and claimed the lone goal of the match.

The Aggies continued their struggles as shots by Brie Severns, Becerra and Kennedy Clark were sent off target. 

Unable to retaliate offensively, the Aggies did well at holding their own, only allowing one additional Bulldog attempt in the 24th minute, as Hannah White’s shot was saved easily by Fuller.

Though A&M did well gaining possession close at goal, they still needed to stop settling for longer-range shots.

Down 1-0 entering the second half, the Aggies accounted for the majority of attempts.

There would be an additional three shots on goal and seven shots, but these stints — by Taylor Jernigan, Kate Colvin, Becerra, Margo Matula, Clarke and Pante — would not be enough to overcome Brown’s goal.

A&M started the second half strong, leading with four attentional attempts going into the 70th minute. Jernigan’s 50th-minute shot was handled by Brown.

The Bulldogs retaliated in the 68th minute, as a Torbert shot went out far left. Their accuracy continued to decline as Margie Detrizio shot too late in the 70th minute, missing a golden opportunity to score.

Shots by Amber Nguyen and Denigan also proved off-target, not allowing Georgia to extend the lead.

A last-ditch effort by Becerra in the 81st was A&M’s final attempt of the afternoon. The shot was quickly saved by Brown, blocking in the top right quadrant.

The Bulldogs proved lucky, as their first-half goal was enough to hold the Aggies in this make-or-break match.

The loss ends the season for G Guerrier & Co. and sends the Bulldogs to face Arkansas in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.