Texas A&M draws Baylor on Fish Camp Night despite 22-5 shot disparity
The Fish Camp Match against Baylor marked the second-largest crowd in Texas A&M soccer history with 6,743 people in attendance. However, the crowd wasn’t enough to help A&M earn its first win of the season as the Aggies and Bears tied, 1-1.
“More than anything, I was really so proud of the crowd,” head coach G Guerrieri said. “I think the freshman class really showed up tonight.”
The Bears scored first in the 16th minute on their first shot of the game.
Meanwhile, the Aggies had seven shots with no goals to show for it.
Skylar Zinnecker chipped a shot over the head of A&M goalkeeper Kenna Caldwell to give Baylor a 1-0 lead that stood through the first half.
MaKhiya McDonald fired the 10th shot of the night for the Maroon & White through heavy traffic and into the Bears’ box, but keeper Ashlee Zirkel stopped it for her third save of the night in the 22nd minute.
Sammy Smith subbed into the match in the 29th minute and made her presence known with two shots from distance in the 33rd and 41st minutes, but again, with nothing to show for it.
Mia Pante continuously got shut down on the right side in Baylor territory. But when Maile Hayes cut off a pass from the Bears, regained possession and laid it off for Pante, the Aggies nearly evened the match.
By the end of the game, Texas A&M outshot Baylor, 22-5. While shooting in bulk has been a common trend for the Aggies this season, out of the 22 shots the Maroon & White ripped, only six were on frame.
“The ratio of shots to shots on goal we’re pretty disappointed with,” Hayes said.
A yellow card was issued to Baylor’s Hallie Augustyn after she denied a clear goal-scoring opportunity for Hayes in the 69th minute. Had Hayes not been fouled, she would have likely had a one-on-one chance to beat Zirkel.
In the 75th minute, Hayes drew another foul, this time in the box, and converted on the ensuing penalty kick to make it 1-1. She has now scored on a PK in back-to-back matches.
Just minutes later, Margo Matula made a game-saving tackle just outside the box as Haven Terry was one-on-one with a retreating Caldwell. Moments after that, Macy Matula made a similar tackle that saved the Aggies from a loss.
“They're great with sliding on the ground and just getting that last step in, and I just think that’s really important as a defense,” said A&M defender Carolyn Calzada.
Still searching for their first win of the year, the Aggies return to Ellis Field for their next test, facing Tulsa on Thursday at 7 p.m.
“It'll be kind of flushing the bad out of this, learning from it and then we'll be full steam ahead looking at Tulsa,” Guerrieri said.