Soccer ties No. 17 Texas A&M on the road
More stories from Joey Blackwell
CW / Joe Will Field
After two overtimes, the Alabama soccer team left College Station, Texas, with a 1-1 draw against No. 17 Texas A&M.
This draw marks the third time in Alabama soccer history that the program has tied a ranked opponent, following a 1-1 tie against No. 6 Florida in 2010 and a 1-1 tie against No. 24 South Carolina in 2014.
“I am proud of the fight we showed tonight,” Alabama head coach Wes Hart said. “Getting a result on the road against a Top-25 ranked team is not easy, especially at a place like Texas A&M. We will take the point and move on to the next opponent.”
The Crimson Tide started the first half strong, remaining solid on defense as it has done for the majority of the season. The Aggies had six corner kicks in the first 45 minutes, but all were stifled by freshman goalkeeper A.J. Crooks and her teammates.
Alabama had several scoring opportunities in the first half, with the best chance being a cross play by junior midfielder Taylor Morgan to freshman midfielder Carlee Giammona.
Neither team scored in the first half, and both teams entered the locker room locked at zero.
In the 66th minute, the Crimson Tide scored its first goal of the game when a ball rolled into the net after ricocheting off of an Aggies player. Texas A&M responded in the 82nd minute with a goal of their own by junior defender Jimena Lopez. The score remained tied at the end of regulation, and the game progressed into overtime, which is Alabama’s third-straight SEC matchup to enter extra minutes.
After two periods of overtime, the game remained tied at one apiece, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
For the Crimson Tide, Giammona led the team in shots with four, followed by junior forward Casey Wertz with two. On the night, Alabama had 10 shots total, with Texas A&M registering 15.
At goal, Crooks had a solid outing, collecting six saves.
With the tie, Alabama is now 7-4-2 on the season. Texas A&M moves to 9-2-3.
Up next for the Crimson Tide is LSU, who travels to Tuscaloosa on Sunday for the Power of Pink match. The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. CT kickoff, and will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
