Box Score STEPHENVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi soccer team was held in check on Thursday evening, failing to find its groove offensively and dropping the final game of its longest road trip of the season to Tarleton State by a final score of 2-0.
The match ended an impressive streak for the Islanders (2-3-2), as they had scored at least one goal in each of their previous 13 games dating all the way back to October 13, 2024. It was also their first loss in the all-time series against the Texans (4-2-1), with their record now drawing level at 1-1-1.
Despite what the final score would indicate, A&M-Corpus Christi did manage to hang in tough with Tarleton in the early goings on Thursday, taking five shots against six from the hosts and attempting the same amount of corner kicks at two through the first 45 minutes. The separating factor came on execution, with the Islanders getting a couple of shots on target from sophomore
Cilia Leal and junior
Dakota Merino but failing to find the back of the net with either. On the other side, the Texans did not miss their best chance of the first half, getting a goal kick off a missed shot with under a minute to go and marching down the field to put home the first goal of the day right before time expired heading into the break.
After suddenly finding themselves trailing going into the second half, the Islanders tried to find their response in the final stages of the contest but could not get their offense kicked into high gear. The best chance came on a run and attempt from sophomore
Maddy Howells in the 73
rd minute, but her try was blocked, and the team would not get another try off over the remaining time in the game. While this was going on, the Texans managed to pull away, finding the net just five minutes later to all but ice things and send A&M-Corpus Christi on its way back home with a loss in tow.
The Islanders finished the day on Thursday with seven total shots, with all coming from different players in Merino, Leal, Howells, seniors
Morgan Westbury and
Madison Page, sophomore
Alisa Divano and freshman
MyJoi Anderson. In goal, redshirt senior
Hayven Harrison fought valiantly, recording four total saves to mark her fifth time reaching at least that many in her first seven games with the team.
A&M-Corpus Christi will now return home with some time off until its next game, taking the next 10 days off before hosting Fresno State at the Dr. Jack Dugan Family Soccer and Track Stadium on September 14 in its final nonconference tilt of the season.
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