Auburn (9-3-1, 1-3-1 in SEC) got behind early against Texas A&M, and it ended up costing it the win as the Tigers fell 4-2 to the No. 6 Aggies (12-1-1, 3-1-1 in SEC) on Thursday night at Ellis Field in College Station, Texas.
Treva Aycock and Dani Solaru each added a goal for Auburn, while Alyssa Malonson provided two assists and Sara Houchin had an assist herself. Auburn outshot Texas A&M 17-13
“We didn’t start the game well, giving up two goals in the first few minutes, but I’m proud of how the girls responded,” head coach Karen Hoppa said. “We were the better team for the next 85 minutes. We played great soccer, created a ton of opportunities, but got some tough breaks. I love the way the team played and fought until the end.”
Auburn got into a hole early on as Texas A&M scored its first two goals in the first three minutes of the game. The first came from a flick inside in the box, and the other occurred on a cross that skipped through the defense and to an Aggie in front of the frame.
Auburn got back into the game in the 15th minute as Aycock scored her sixth goal of the season. Malonson intercepted a pass near midfield and dribbled down the seam, finding Aycock, who put the ball through the goalkeeper’s legs and made the score 2-1.
Auburn battled for an equalizer for the next 20-plus minutes, taking a total of seven shots during that time span, but Texas A&M added to its lead with a goal into the upper 90 with six minutes before the half.
Auburn continued to fight after halftime and cut the lead to one for the second time when Solaru scored her second goal of the season in the 64th minute. Houchin got the throw-in from Malonson near midfield and lobbed it to Solaru behind the Texas A&M defense.
Solaru found herself one on one with the goalkeeper after the pass and put the ball into the back of the net for Auburn’s second goal of the game.
Texas A&M got the lead back after Auburn was called for a handball inside the box on a shot that looked like it deflected off a player’s shoulder. Texas A&M capitalized on this and scored off the penalty kick to give the Aggies their fourth and final goal of the game to give them the 4-2 win.
“We’ll be thrilled to get back home after these two tough road contests,” Hoppa added. “Between now and Sunday, it’s all about recovery and getting fresh both physically and mentally.”
Eighteen Tigers saw the field in the match, including the debut for M.E. Craven.
Auburn will look to get back on track after back-to-back road games against top-15 opponents. Auburn is back home against Georgia (4-5-3, 1-2-1 in SEC) at the Auburn Soccer Complex on Sunday at 2 p.m. CST. The game will be televised on SEC Network+.
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