For the first time this season, Texas A&M (1-2-0, 0-0-0) will play in front of the 12th Man at Ellis Field on Saturday, Aug. 22.
The Aggies face Sam Houston (0-0-2, 0-0-0) after three consecutive away games in an 8 p.m. CT kickoff.
A&M and the Bearkats have faced each other five times since 2004 — ;the last game in 2022. Further, Sam Houston has never scored a goal on A&M.
“Obviously, it's great to be playing at home, 12th Man,” sophomore defender Riley Crooks said. “There should be a really good crowd, but we have to stay locked in.”
Sam Houston’s previous two games both ended in ties. Their most recent matchup with Lamar was a scoreless draw.
The Bearkats’ senior goalkeeper Hannah Stipp has a total of 13 saves in two matches this season, so the Aggie offense will have to find creative opportunities to score.
“Good team, two good results so far this year,” head coach Bobby Shuttleworth said. “Obviously went to Oklahoma State and got a draw, so I think they're going to be organized, and we're going to have to make sure that we're doing things that we need to do in order to get a result at home.”
The Maroon & White go into the matchup recovering from a 3-2 loss to Texas State, despite leading 2-1 at halftime.
“We need to feel this loss,” Shuttleworth said. “And then we need to quickly move on because we have a big game on Saturday, and we need to put on a good performance.”
“We need to win tomorrow,” Crooks said. “It's non-negotiable.”
Freshman forward Ireland Churchill scored her first career goal against the Bobcats. Senior midfielder Trinity Buchanan scored within the first minute, starting the game with momentum.
Buchanan has accounted for three of A&M’s five goals thus far.
“I think through the first three games, Trinity has done a great job,” the Aggie head man said. “I think she's a player that we rely on to connect play. … I thought Ireland was excellent last game, and she put herself about, worked hard, closed things from the front.”
The backline has been consistent with Crooks and freshman Ava Sexton, Shuttleworth said.
The Aggies will look to clean up mistakes made in the Texas State matchup.
“I think we had some really good moments,” Crooks said. “I think we did a lot better connecting forward than we had previously. Obviously, we had some mistakes that they capitalized on that we need to clean up, but I think we just have to learn from it and move on.”
Of course, one of the loudest mistakes in San Marcos belonged to keeper Makenna August, who dropped a high-arcing shot in the final minutes, leading to the game-deciding goal.
“After the game, obviously very, very disappointed with herself, but it’s part of the game,” Shuttlework said. “Mistakes happen, and she’s no different from the rest of our team. [August] needs to have a short memory and move on, and be ready to play Saturday.”
Learning from mistakes and experiencing games is the way to progress as a player.
Shuttleworth said the Aggies have found success in maintaining possession and creating problems for opponents when they stay connected and communicate.
“We have a very, very young team,” Shuttleworth said. “So we just need to stick together right now and make sure that we're unified as a group and continuing to move forward.”
To see the Aggies live in person, visit 12th Man Foundation for tickets or stream the match on the SEC Network+.
