Two teams search for their first SEC win Sunday afternoon.
Texas A&M (4-6-0, 0-3-0) will be back on their home pitch to take on Florida (4-3-3, 0-1-2) on Sept. 27, at Ellis Field.
Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. CT.
Strides and improvements were evident from the young Ags in their most recent match, even if three points in the conference standings were elusive.
Thursday night’s 1-0 loss to No. 7 Alabama showed A&M has taken the experiences this season and grown.
While it was a loss on the scoreboard, Bobby Shuttleworth’s Aggies controlled possession and showed they could keep up and even give trouble to a top-10 team.
Most notably, the A&M freshmen are starting to find their connection as a group, and the defense has proved to be physical.
Mistakes in shape and failing to follow through in the attacking third are keeping them from winning games.
While the Maroon & White’s 18 goals in eight games have already surpassed last year's 17 total goals, they have now gone cold.
The Aggies have been scoreless in back-to-back matches and are on a three-game losing streak in conference play.
“We had loads of moments where we were, especially in transition, played forward in good moments, where we kind of had them on their heels, and things just kind of fizzled out around the box,” Shuttleworth said.
Capitalizing on said moments would be another stride forward and likely equal an improved position in the league table.
Florida enters this matchup off a 1-1 draw against Texas, where the Gators outshot the Longhorns 18-5 with six on goal. More impressively, Florida dominated the second-half shot total, 14-1.
The Aggie defense will have to withstand the Gators’ attacking threat while the offense needs to create dangerous opportunities and not force shots.
“We're just getting in the groove of working on our chemistry still, and just, I think, as we saw tonight, got better, and I feel like we'll create some good chances this weekend,” sophomore Holly Storer said on Thursday.
With little time to dwell on a loss, the Aggies will watch video to prepare for their Florida matchup, Shuttleworth said.
“We're frustrated with the loss,” Storer said. “Because I feel like we dominated the game and played really well together, but I think we just need to move on to the next game and get ready for this weekend.”
Two winless SEC teams will be competing for a change on a hot Sunday afternoon in College Station.
The 2 p.m. CT match will be streamed on SEC Network+.
