Late opportunities fall short as Georgia edges out A&M in SEC opener, 3-2
Georgia defeated Texas A&M, 3-2, in Friday night’s Southeastern Conference opener at Ellis Field. The Aggies were determined, but the Bulldogs’ precision proved to be enough to squeeze by with the win.
“They took three shots and scored three goals,” A&M head coach G Guerrieri said. “They withstood everything we threw at them. You have to give Georgia credit because they put it on the line, they were scrapping for their lives, and they found a way to come out of here with three points.”
Cate Hardin was the first to score a goal for Georgia off a corner kick in the 7th minute. In the 14th minute, sophomore defender Mia Pante set up a corner kick for A&M that was volleyed in by junior midfielder Taylor Pounds. The score marked Pounds’ first goal of the season.
“It was like a perfect fall in, so [Pante] just placed it right as it was bending, and I was able to get a foot on it,” Pounds said.
Scoring another goal for Georgia in the 23rd minute was forward Joyelle Washington, assisted by Dasia Torbert.
In the 28th minute, a substitution was made for Jai Smith, who brought in a spark for the Maroon & White when she curved the ball away from her defender. The quick move resulted in redshirt freshman Andersen Williams’ first career goal to once again tie the game at 2-2.
The Aggies came out blazing in the second half, close to scoring within the first few seconds. Sophomore forward MaKhiya McDonald’s attempt in the 46th minute was nearly converted, but Georgia goalkeeper Liz Beardsley saved the attempt. Beardsley ended the match with five saves in total, all occurring in the second half.
The Maroon & White had back-to-back corner kicks in the 61st and 63rd minutes. On both kicks, sophomore forward Maile Hayes and Pante responded with bottom-center shots that Beardsley subsequently saved.
Showing no signs of slowing down, Georgia’s perseverance paid off as Torbert scored in the 69th minute to regain the lead, 3-2.
Continuing to fight, the Aggies put up six more shots, two of which were saved by Georgia, but ultimately failed to make good on any of their late chances.
“We have to learn from it. We have to finish these chances and be tougher in the other team's six-yard box,” Guerrieri said. “In the SEC, if you make a mistake, you pay for it, and we made two fatal mistakes today. Our players worked hard, but in games like this, we should win, and we didn’t.”
Texas A&M returns to Ellis Field on Thursday to take on Mississippi State. Kick-off is slated for 7 p.m. CT.