The No. 8 South Carolina Gamecocks women’s soccer team ended its Sunday evening match against the Texas A&M Aggies with a 0-0 draw at Stone Stadium.
Before the match began, the Gamecocks celebrated its former forward Savannah McCaskill and honored her by having her jersey retired.
Texas A&M led the first half in total shots, recording five to South Carolina’s two. The Aggies also held a 4-0 advantage in corner kicks, generating early scoring chances for forwards freshman Holly Storer, junior Kaylee Noble and junior Kennedy Clark.
Clark’s shot in the 22nd minute marked the only shot on goal for the Aggies during the first half, which senior goalkeeper Christina Tsaousis was able to save.
The first half included eight total fouls with four by Texas A&M and four by South Carolina. Aggies junior defender Hattie Patterson received a yellow card in the 23rd minute, followed by Gamecocks senior defender Taylor Bloom in the 33rd.
In the 53rd minute, Gamecock graduate midfielder Anna Young recorded the first shot of the half, followed by an attempt from Bloom that went wide. Noble tried to get the Aggies on the board in the 55th minute, but Tsaousis saved her shot attempt.
South Carolina continued to take shots from junior midfielder/defender Maggie Taitano, freshman forward Mackenzie Johnson and senior midfielder/forward Kinley Brown between the 56th and 58th minutes.
Brown’s shot on goal was saved by Aggies sophomore goalkeeper Maysen Veronda, and Clark followed with a shot on goal going over the crossbar in the 59th minute.
Fouls increased during the middle portion of the half, including a yellow card issued to Brown in the 63rd minute.
South Carolina earned multiple corner kicks between the 69th and 76th minutes, including shots from junior forward/midfielder Autumn Cayelli and senior defender Gracie Falla, but no goals were scored.
Texas A&M also recorded more shots from Noble and sophomore forward Savannah Hutchins in the final 15 minutes. A yellow card was issued to Aggies sophomore defender Bella James in the 85th minute, and with no team converting goals in the remaining time, the match ended in a 0-0 draw.
Offensive activity without conversion
South Carolina recorded 11 shots in the match, including two on goal, but the Gamecocks were unable to find the back of the net.
Brown and sophomore midfielder Avery Galante each led the team with two shots apiece, with one shot on goal each. Additional attempts came from seven other Gamecock players.
Despite the balanced distribution of attempts across multiple players, South Carolina could not find the back of the net during regulation.
"We're disappointed with the results," freshman forward Ava Tutas said after the game. "Now it's just focusing on Vanderbilt and what we can do ... to get back to that standard that we have for ourselves."
Increased physical play in second half
The Gamecocks committed six fouls in the second half, with Brown and Bloom each recording one foul and receiving yellow cards. Combined with Texas A&M’s six fouls and one yellow card, both teams displayed elevated physical engagement in the later stages of play.
"We told them that they needed to be aggressive at going at their defenders," head coach Shelley Smith said, "We never got a shot, hardly not even a corner kick in the first half, so that's why they needed to turn the backs, be aggressive in those wide areas, be positive with our play, try to play behind the defense when we can."
Midfield and defensive stability
Bloom and senior defender Micah Bryant each played 90 minutes, anchoring a back line that held Texas A&M scoreless. Young and Falla also logged full time during the match, reflecting South Carolina’s consistent midfield presence throughout both halves.
"I thought we built the game pretty well in that second half, especially, and then when we get in the final third, we've got to be more aggressive and dangerous," Smith said. "Our decisions have to be just cleaner."
What’s next?
The No. 8 South Carolina Gamecocks (10-2-5, 4-1-4 SEC) will stay in Columbia to face the No. 21 Vanderbilt Commodores on Oct. 26. The match will kick off at 3 p.m. and will be streamed on SEC Network.