COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri soccer opened Southeastern Conference play with a 1-0 loss to Texas A&M Thursday night at Audrey J. Walton Stadium.
Missouri (2-5-1, 0-1-0 SEC) put pressure on the Aggies (6-3-0, 1-0-0 SEC) early with a shot by junior midfielder Keegan Good in the second minute, but could not find the goal. Texas A&M followed with a shot in the third minute, but a save from sophomore goalkeeper Kate Phillips kept the Aggies off the board.
Phillips made her first start and second appearance of the season in goal.
After Texas A&M missed another shot in the fifth minute, both teams struggled to gain momentum, as there were no shots over the next 11 minutes.
Senior midfielder Leah Selm struck a turnaround shot from the top of the box that sailed wide left for the Tigers in the 23rd minute.
At the end of the 32nd minute, senior midfielder Milena Fischer sent a corner kick for Missouri that found redshirt freshman defender Morgan Meador, who passed it back to Fischer for a shot that swept just left of the net.
The narrow miss resulted in a scoreless draw between the teams at the half.
The Tigers put offensive pressure on the Aggies to open the second period, as junior forward Kylee Simmons ran with the ball and shot it just over the crossbar in the 48th minute. Simmons attempted three more goals throughout the second period, but could not find the back of the net.
In the 61st minute, Texas A&M scored the lone goal after a cross was sent into a crowded box and found the foot of an attacker.
In the 84th minute, Emily Derucki corralled the ball in the box but came just short of getting a final foot on it as Texas A&M cleared for a throw-in.
The Tigers’ attack found spots of pressure in search of an equalizer in the final minutes, but the Aggies’ backline was able to stifle any scoring opportunities before the final whistle.
Phillips totaled seven saves in the contest while Simmons led Mizzou with four shots.
UP NEXT
Missouri will travel to Fayetteville to play against Arkansas at Razorback Field on Sunday at 1 p.m. The contest will be available to be streamed live on SECN+.
