Yakel's 73rd minute penalty kick lifts A&M to 2-1 victory over Missouri

Match #15: Texas A&M 2, Missouri 1
Records: Texas A&M (5-6-4, 2-5-1), Missouri (4-10-1, 1-7-0)
Box Score

Statement made.

Playing at home inside Ellis Field on Thursday night, Texas A&M came out victorious over Missouri, 2-1.

The haunted theme for the Aggies was shattered as it was a victory they had to have to stay alive in the chase for a spot in the SEC Tournament.

“I’m really proud of the players,” A&M head coach G Guerrieri said. “It feels great because we march on. In these last three games, we need to win at least two and not lose any, but you couldn’t win two unless you won one first. That’s where we are tonight.”

A&M was in a 4-4-2, while Mizzou was also in a 4-4-2. With similar shapes, the Ags’ approach was to use a fast-paced attack to set the pace for the first 45 minutes.

In contrast, Missouri operated with the same approach to slow the tempo of the game.

The game began with a two-minute silence, but that changed quickly.

In the third minute, the Aggies struck first with a top left shot on goal from midfielder Kaylee Noble that curled into the net to give A&M a 1-0 lead.

Being up one, forward Kennedy Clark looked to create more chaos with her 14th-minute shot, but Mizzou goalkeeper Kate Phillips made the save.

Despite the high energy, the game had to be stopped momentarily due to an injury to midfielder Bella James in a head-on collision with a Tiger.

Spencer Halstead, TexAgs

The Aggies’ win on Thursday night increased their point total in the SEC table to seven, evening them with Auburn at 12th place.

"Bella is fine," Guerrieri said. "She took a couple of stitches out on the forehead area, but she is a tough kid, and it was just a 50-50 ball, and it was nothing that the other player did or she did.

“We’re hoping she’ll be OK to play on Sunday.”

The first booking of the game was in the 29th minute to Missouri’s Emily Derucki for a strong tackle.

After playing over 34 minutes, Mizzou’s Hailey Chambliss attempted to bring hope to Missouri, only to be stopped by Aggie goalkeeper Maysen Veronda.

Just two seconds before the end of the first half, the match was stopped for a video review to determine if a possible penalty kick for a handball had been committed, which was awarded to Missouri.

In the 45th minute, Mizzou midfielder Olivia Chianelli evened the score with a top right shot from the penalty spot.

"I think we started off the game really good," defender Bella Yakel said. "Then, going to the half, obviously it was a really unfortunate PK."

At the start of the second half, A&M continued to employ a fast-paced attack but made a slight adjustment to the formation in an effort to secure the win.

“I think when we put in Trinity (Buchanan) on the front line and we brought in actually two more midfielders, and we made it to where we were going more into a 4-1-4-1, to kind of finish it up," A&M head coach G Guerrieri said. "They knew what their roles were, (and) they did a really good job with it."

Missouri's mentality continued with a fast-paced attack that attempted to crush the home crowd's hopes.

Less than a minute into the second half, Missouri defender Jessica Larson came in hot with a shot at the top center of the goal, yet Veronda made the save.

In the 58th minute, Buchanan went out wide to the left with an attempt to regain the lead.

Four minutes after that A&M try, Missouri’s McKenna Moran added to Veronda’s save count.

Thankfully for the Aggies, the 45th-minute penalty kick was not the only penalty to be given out. The second of the game was given to A&M for a tackle made just inside the penalty box.

In the 73rd minute, A&M defender Bella Yakel placed the ball in the bottom left of the net to put the Aggies ahead. It was her first goal of the year.

With the result answering some questions and uncertainty, the Maroon & White will continue to move forward for what is to come.

"There's still definitely a lot of things to improve on, so we've got to get ready tomorrow at practice and kick it off and go beat South Carolina," Noble said. "Mindset is key, effort and passion." 

The Maroon & White will leave for Columbia to continue their duel against No. 8 South Carolina on Sunday. Kickoff is at 5 p.m. CT.