ORANGE BEACH, Ala. – It was a cruel end to a hard-fought match, as an own goal gave Texas A&M a 2-1 overtime win over Florida in Thursday's Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinal round.
 
The win sends the Aggies to Sunday's championship match versus Arkansas, who advanced to its second straight SEC Tournament final with a 4-2 penalty kick advantage over Vanderbilt in Thursday's opening match at the Orange Beach Sportsplex.
 
 
The Gators were looking for their 18^th SEC Tournament final appearance in the program's 23-year history. Florida owns 12 tournament titles, including the 2015 and 2016 crowns.
 
How the Goals Were Scored:

A low strike from 22 yards from junior Sarah Troccoli gave the Gators a 1-0 halftime lead. Briana Solis brought the ball to the top of the box where she fought for control with Aggie defenders. Texas A&M's clearance attempt sent the ball into space above the box. Troccoli took two steps and then sent a blast that went in at the far post in the 30^th minute.
 
It was Troccoli's third goal of the season, with all coming in the last five matches.
 
Texas A&M freshman Rheagen Smith tied the match in the 69th minute. Kendall Ritchie played a long ball into the box that Smith ran down to score from 12 yards. Smith is the daughter of Gator and NFL Great Emmitt Smith.
 
In the first overtime, another Aggie long ball sent into the box resulted in the golden goal. Junior Sara Wilson's clearance attempt came off her head and went in at the far upper slot of the goal in the 97th minute to give the Aggies the win.
 
The game-winner came just after junior goalkeeper Kaylan Marckese made two huge saves in the 97^th minute. Stephanie Malherbe took a shot inside the box that Marckese deflected. With the ball now at the top of the box, Ally Watts tried to chip it but Marckese scrambled back to tip the ball over the crossbar for an Aggie corner kick.  
 
For the match, Texas A&M outshot the Gators 12-7. Marckese turned in four saves.



What the Gators Said:
On today's performance by the Gators:
"I was really pleased with how we played. It was a very tough ending. Love to be playing in the final on Sunday.
 
"But I love what we gained from this tournament. I loved how we played today. It was a much different game than how we played at A&M the first time. I think it showed a lot of progress." - Florida Head Coach Becky Burleigh
 
What did you learn about this team?
"Think there is a grittiness to this team that we didn't see as much of during the regular season. We had some versatility in the way we played, whether it was the system or the personnel. It showed some options we have. It was a good week for us." - Florida Head Coach Becky Burleigh



On her goal:
"Bri [Solis] did all the work. She dribbled through the defense and got tackled. The ball popped out. We had been working on those types of strikes in practice so I just finished it." – junior midfielder Sarah Troccoli
 
What did you think of the Gators' performance today?
"Honestly, I'm really proud of this team. We are all really proud of each other because we played really well and fought hard.
 
"We are looking forward to moving on [in NCAA] because we feel really good about how we played. That finish was really unlucky but we learned a lot about ourselves and how hard we can fight." – junior midfielder Sarah Troccoli
 
Thought on today's performance:
"I thought it was an overall a really good performance. We fought really hard and had a lot of opportunities. We were in their end [of field] for a good portion. It was a little unlucky at the end.
 
"I think we can use this going forward into the NCAA Tournament." – senior captain Gabby Seiler
 
How it felt to return to lineup after missing the regular-season finale with an injury?
"It felt really good. From here on, future games aren't guaranteed so I'm super happy to be back. I'm just excited for NCAAs." – senior captain Gabby Seiler
 
Records:
Florida: 14-6, 7-3 SEC
Texas A&M: 16-2-1, 9-1 SEC
 
Rankings:
Florida ranks No. 17 on the United Soccer Coaches poll and Texas A&M is No. 11.
 
Next up:
The reveal of the 2017 NCAA Championship field is Monday, Nov. 9 at 4:30 p.m. ET on NCAA.com.
 
Teams need to have a record better than .500 for an at-large berth consideration. Thirty-one conferences receive automatic qualification for the 2017 championship. The remaining 33 selections are on an at-large basis. The Southeastern Conference's automatic berth goes to the winner of the league tournament


 

Southeastern Conference Tournament Schedule
Orange Beach SportsPlex – Orange Beach, Ala.
Play-in – Oct. 29
2 pm	Match 1: Missouri 3, Alabama 1
4:30 pm	Match 2: Arkansas 1, Mississippi 0
First Round – Oct. 31
1 pm	Match 3: Texas A&M 7, Missouri 1
3:30 pm	Match 4: Florida 1 vs. Auburn 0
6 pm	Match 5: Arkansas 1, South Carolina 0
8:30 pm	Match 6: Vanderbilt 1, Tennessee 0
Semifinal – Nov. 2
4:30 pm	Match 7: Arkansas 1, Vanderbilt 1 2OT (UA 4-2 PK)
7 pm	Match 8: Texas A&M 2, Florida 1 OT
Final – Nov. 5
3 pm	Match 9: Arkansas vs Texas A&M
All times ET

 
Texas A&M (16-2-1, 9-1 SEC) vs Florida (14-6, 7-3 SEC)
Stadium: Orange Beach SportsPlex, Orange Beach, Ala.
Weather: 70 degrees, winds SSE 5 mph, 91% humidity
 

Goals by Period	1	2	OT		Total
Florida	1	0	0		1
Texas A&M	0	1	1		2

 
Scoring Summary:

No.	Time	Team	Goal Scorer	Assist	Description
1.	29:01	UF	Sarah Troccoli		25yd low blast
2.	68:36	TAMU	Rheagen Smith	Kendall Ritchie	12yd shot off through ball
3.	96:44	TAMU	Own goal		Header clearance scores at far post

 
Shots: Florida 7, Texas A&M 12
Saves: Florida 4 (Kaylan Marckese 4), Texas A&M 0 (Cosette Morche 0)