University of Georgia
Texas A&M
Bulldogs Fall In Regular Season Finale
October 30, 2014 | Soccer
Watch these top plays as Georgia lost a tough match Thursday to A&M.
Oct. 30, 2014
COLLEGE STATION, Texas. --- Sixth-year senior Laura Eddy tallied her first goal of the season in the 68th minute, but it wasn't enough in the end as the Georgia soccer team suffered a 2-1 loss to No. 7 Texas A&M in Thursday night's regular season finale at Ellis Field in College Station, Texas.
The loss drops the Bulldogs to 10-6-1 on the season and 5-5-1 in SEC play heading into next week's SEC Tournament in Orange Beach, Ala. Unofficially, Georgia will be the No. 8 seed in the tournament and will take on ninth-seeded Arkansas in first round action on Monday evening. The official bracket will be available later this evening.
"I think we can walk out of here with our heads held high," said head coach Steve Holeman. "We played well and fought hard for 90 minutes. We went toe to toe with one of the best teams in the country in one of the most hostile environments. I love the way we fought our way back and made it 2-1, and we had a really good chance to even things up. It just didn't happen tonight."
"Without question we take a lot of positives from this game," Holeman said. "It was a great play there from Gabby [Seiler] to Marion [Crowder] and Laura on the finish, and Laura had another chance to tie later. We can take a lot of good things out of this game heading into Orange Beach."
The Aggies took a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute when Janae Cousineau fed Allie Bailey, and Bailey would send a back heel flick past keeper Louse Hogrell for the early advantage. The Aggies had a chance at a second later on in the period, but freshman Josie Roebuck cleared a ball off the line to get credit for a defensive save in her first career appearance and start for Georgia - playing all 90 minutes at left back in her debut.
Hogrell had a strong first half in goal for the Bulldogs, with her highlight coming as the half wound down when she kick-saved a one on one opportunity from point-blank range from an Aggie attacker.
Georgia had a good look moments later when defender Carli Shultis had two shots blocked following a corner kick opportunity for the Bulldogs. Texas A&M would enter the locker room with a 1-0 lead and owning an 11-7 advantage in shots.
The Aggies made it 2-0 in the 53rd minute when veterans Kelley Monogue and Shea Groom connected for the score on their senior night, with Monogue slipping it through to Groom who finished from the top of the 18.
Eddy would bring it to 2-1 in the 68th minute off a perfect sequence inside from the Bulldogs, with the play starting on the end line by Gabby Seiler, who passed to Marion Crowder for a subsequent dish to Eddy, and the senior one-timed it off the outside of her foot inside the far post for her first of the year. Both Seiler and Crowder earned assists on the series, and for Seiler it was her team-leading ninth - leaving her just two shy of tying the single-season school record.
Eddy had another opportunity saved by a leaping Texas A&M keeper to pluck it out of the air, as the play was set up by Seiler feeding Eddy for a breakaway with 13 minutes to play before half. Seiler had a left-footed chance locked with eight minutes to go, and with time winding down she dribbled through from the end line but sending it way high of the target on what would amount to Georgia's final look at the equalizer, and Texas A&M held on to capture the regular season Southeastern Conference title on the home field.
Georgia will head to Orange Beach this weekend in preparation for Monday's first round game.
