COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies travel to Lexington and Starkville this weekend for soccer matches at Kentucky on Friday and Mississippi State on Sunday.
The Maroon and White enter the fray atop the SEC Western Division standings with a 4-0-0 mark and 12 points. The Wildcats are currently in second place in the Eastern Division with a 3-1-0 start while the Bulldogs are in sixth place in the Western Division with a 0-3-1 mark.
Texas A&M looks to continue the program-best streak of seven consecutive shutouts. Jordan Day has tied the SEC record for consecutive shutouts by a keeper with her seven. The scoreless string for the Aggies’ defense is also a program-best at 696 minutes. A pair of shutouts this weekend would vault A&M into first place all-time in the SEC record book for consecutive shutouts, moving them past the 1999 Georgia team that recorded eight straight shutouts.
The Maroon and White also own a nine-match win streak. It’s the longest streak for the Aggies since they roped together 10 straight wins from Sept. 30 to Nov. 2, 2007. The current streak ranks sixth all time for Texas A&M. The Aggies need four victories to match the streak of 13 in a row set between the 1994 and 1995 seasons.
During the current nine-match win streak, the Aggies have outscored opponents 21-1.
UP NEXT
The Aggies return to the friendly confines of Ellis Field for a pair of matches next weekend. Texas A&M hosts the Alabama Crimson Tide in a 7 p.m. match on Friday, Oct. 5, and the Florida Gators in a 12:30 p.m. match on Sunday, Oct. 7.
TICKET INFORMATION
Season and individual tickets for the 2012 home season are now for sale. To purchase tickets, please contact the 12th Man Foundation Ticket Center at tickets.12thmanfoundation.com, 979-845-2311 or toll free at 1-888-99-AGGIE. Tickets are also available in person beginning one hour before the match at Ellis Field.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Sunday’s game will be televised live on Cox Sports TV (Ch. 119 for Bryan Suddenlink Digital). Due to the game being televised, no video streaming will be available for the game. Friday’s game will have live video on www.ukathletics.com. Live stats will be available on www.ukathletics.com for Friday’s game and www.aggieathletics.com for Sunday. Live audio will be available on RadioAggieland.com and aggieathletics.com for both matches.
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WHERE ARE THE AGGIES RANKED?
In the sixth week of regular season polling, A&M is ranked No. 6 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/Continental Tire poll, No. 5 in the Soccer Times rankings and No. 7 in the Soccer America poll. Florida State claimed the top spot in the NSCAA/Continental Tire poll, followed by Stanford, UCLA, Duke and Boston College.
ELLIS FIELD ADVANTAGE
Texas A&M owns a 177-25-5 (.867) all-time record at Ellis Field (formerly Aggie Soccer Stadium). The Maroon and White have called the field home since the 1994 season, playing the inaugural 1993 season at Old Tiger Field. Since 2005, the Aggies have registered a 77-9-4 (.878) mark on the friendly pitch.
LAST TIME OUT – AUBURN
The Aggies posted a shutout in seven consecutive games for the first time in program history. Texas A&M scored first in the 38th minute when Bianca Brinson found Catalina Clavijo unmarked in the penalty box to knock the ball into the net for her first goal since 2009. A&M expanded the lead in the second half when Jayne Eadie launched a free kick into the penalty box from 40 yards out and Beth West played the carom perfectly off the crossbar to drive home the goal past the disoriented Auburn keeper. Jordan Day made four saves to pick up her eighth shutout of the season and tying the record for most consecutive shutouts by an SEC keeper with seven.
SCOUTING KENTUCKY
Kentucky enters the weekend in second place of the Eastern Division after defeating LSU, 2-1, in double OT and falling to Arkansas on the road, 3-2. The Wildcats opened league play at home defeating Florida (2-1) and Mississippi State (3-0). The Wildcats’ offense ranks second in the SEC with 2.25 goals scored per game and fifth defensively with 1.25 goals allowed per game. Kayla King (333:48 min/0.54 GAA) and Kayla Price (581:17 min/1.08 GA) have split time between the pipes. Courtney Raetzman leads the offense with four goals and Arin Gilliland and Caitlin Landis lead the team with four assists.
SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI STATE
Mississippi State enters the weekend near the bottom in the Western Division after failing to earn a point in the second weekend of league action. The Bulldogs (7-3-1, 0-3-1 SEC) fell to Vanderbilt (4-2) and Tennessee (6-0). Elisabeth Sullivan leads the offense with seven of the 21 goals scored by the Bulldogs this season. Honeye Heydari, Dana Forbes, and Morganne Grimes all have four assists. Skylar Rosson has started all 11 games in goal and has 40 saves and a 1.08 GAA.
THE SERIES
The Aggies are 1-0 all-time against Kentucky and will be facing Mississippi State for the first time. Texas A&M won the lone meeting against the Wildcats, an NCAA Tournament overtime thriller, 3-2 in Lexington. With the Aggies trailing 2-1, Heather Wiebe took advantage of a penalty kick to tie the game in the 83rd minute. In overtime, A&M quickly took advantage and Nicky Thrasher scored her 21st goal of the season to send the Aggies to the Sweet Sixteen.
MEET THE SEC
Each of the 14 schools in Southeastern Conference (SEC) sponsor women’s soccer. The conference is split into two divisions: Eastern and Western. The Aggies, LSU, Auburn, Alabama, Ole Miss, Arkansas and Mississippi State comprise the SEC Western Division and Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee and Vanderbilt make up the SEC Eastern Division. The Aggies will play each of the other 13 schools in the conference this season, beginning with LSU on Sept. 14 in Baton Rouge, La.
AGAINST THE SEC
In the 20-year history of the program, Texas A&M owns a 18-5-1 record against teams who were members of the SEC at the time and a 29-10-2 mark against current members of the SEC. The ledger includes a 13-5-1 mark against former Big 12 foe Missouri. The Aggies own winning records against Alabama (2-1), Arkansas (2-1), Auburn (1-0), Florida (4-2), Kentucky (1-0), LSU (2-0-1), Ole Miss (1-0), South Carolina (2-0) and Vanderbilt (3-0). The only SEC team Texas A&M has a losing record against is Tennessee (0-1). The Aggies have never faced Georgia and Mississippi State.
2012 ROSTER
The Aggies’ 23-player roster features nine upperclassmen, 10 sophomores and 4 freshmen. A&M’s squad is guided by seven seniors. The team returns eight starters and 19 letterwinners from a year ago.
FRESH TALENT
The Aggies welcome four freshmen this season, in Janae Cousineau (San Clemente, Calif.), Kristi Leonard (League City, Texas), Karlie Mueller (Sioux Falls, S.D.), and Jackie Tondl (Omaha, Neb.).
AT THE TOP AGAIN
With the 2012 No. 14 preseason ranking, A&M has been in the preseason national top 15 every year for 17 consecutive seasons. The Aggies have also consistently appeared in top 25 polls for the past 16 years.
BIG 12 CHAMPIONS
The Aggies won their 12th-and-final Big 12 Championship during the 2011 conference tournament. With just 15 seconds left in the Championship match, Tournament MVP and then-freshman Kelley Monogue weaved through three defenders and ricocheted a shot off of the left post that found then-senior Megan Majewski at 18 yards from goal. Majewski fired with nine seconds on the clock and netted the 1-0 goal against Oklahoma State to win the tournament. The Aggies were the only school in the conference to earn a Big 12 Tournament berth in the 16 years of its existence.
SEC PRESEASON POLL
Texas A&M, the reigning Big 12 champion, notched the second spot in the 2012 SEC Soccer Preseason Poll, after receiving 12 of the first-place votes for the SEC West and tallying 89 points overall. The Aggies were picked to win the Western Division and to finish behind Eastern Division favorite Florida, who earned 90 points in the poll. LSU received two first-place votes for the SEC West and was picked to finish second in the division, while Georgia was picked to finish second in the East.
FOUR AGGIES ON SEC PRESEASON WATCH LIST
Sophomores Kelley Monogue, Meghan Streight and Katie Perry and senior Beth West were named to the SEC Preseason Watch List on Aug. 8.
TOP DRAWER SOCCER HONORS
The Aggies ranked No. 5 in TopDrawerSoccer.com’s Preseason Rankings and placed three players on the publication’s SEC Top 20 List. Monogue landed at the top of the list with a No. 1 ranking and was joined in the top 10 by No. 5 Perry and No. 9 West. The Aggies were the only team in the SEC to have three honorees on the list and one of only two schools with multiple players in the top 10.
MAC HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LIST
Monogue was placed on the Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy Watch List. The award is the highest honor in collegiate soccer and will be given to a winner on Jan. 11. The field will be narrowed to 15 semifinalists in late November, and three finalists will be named on Dec. 6.
GUERRIERI RANKS AMONG THE NATION’S WINNINGEST COACHES
Texas A&M head coach G Guerrieri ranks among the Top 10 in both winning percentage and victories among active Division I coaches. With a career record of 345-109-24 (.747), he ranks seventh in winning percentage (minimum five years as a Division I head coach) and eighth in victories, recently passing SMU’s Chris Petrucelli. Among all coaches to ever coach Division I women’ soccer, Guerrieri ranks eighth in winning percentage (minimum 10 years as a Division I head coach) and ninth in victories.
HOME SCHEDULE
A&M face a difficult home slate, hosting 12 opponents at Ellis Field including seven SEC foes. The Aggies started the home slate by going 5-0 on a five-game homestand, including a pair of wins over nationally ranked opponents then-No. 16 Rutgers (4-1) and then-No. 16 Long Beach State (3-0).
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
A&M faced a tough non-conference schedule. The Aggies’ seven games against non-SEC opponents include UC Irvine, San Diego (RV), UTSA, No. 16 Rutgers, Saint Mary’s (Calif.), No. 16 Long Beach State and Central Michigan. A&M went 6-1-0 in non-conference action with the lone blemish coming in a 1-0 loss at San Diego.
LONE STAR DOMINANCE
Since the 2008 season, the Aggies own a 17-0-3 mark against in-state rivals, including an 11-0-3 record against their former Big 12 Conference colleagues. A&M went a perfect 3-0 against in-state foes in 2011, winning the three games by a combined 7-1 margin. This season, the Aggies won their lone scheduled match against a Lone Star opponent, 2-0 against UTSA.
FAST STARTS
The Aggies’ 10-1 mark is tied for the best 11-game start in school history. In both 1996 and ‘97, the Maroon and White won their first nine games before losing game No. 10. In ‘96, A&M went 15-1 before its second blemish. The ‘97 campaign started with a 12-1 record before the second loss.
FAST STARTS - CONFERENCE
The Aggies are 4-0-0 in league action for the first time since 2006 when Texas A&M started Big 12 Conference play with wins over Baylor, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma.
The Maroon and White started Big 12 play 9-0 in 2006, 7-0 in 2004 and 6-0 in 1997.
WIN STREAKS
The Aggies’ nine-game win streak ranks sixth in school annals tied with runs made in both 1996 and 1997. The school record is 13 consecutive wins encompassing the last 10 games of the 1994 season and the first three games of the 1995 campaign. Texas A&M won 11 consecutive games in 2001 and strung together 10-game win streaks in 1995, 2006 and 2007.
No. First Win Last Win
13* 10-9-1994 9-8-1995
11 10-19-2001 11-23-2001
10 9-30-2007 11-2-2007
10 9-20-2006 10-22-2006
10 9-24-1995 10-22-1995
9 8-25-2012 --
9 8-30-1997 9-26-1997
9 9-1-1996 9-27-96
* - denotes over two seasons
LEAGUE RANKINGS
Annie Kunz enters the weekend tied for third in the league with 7 goals and ranked fifth with 0.67 goals per game.
Kunz is also tied for fifth with both 14 points and 1.27 points per game.
Meghan Streight and Jayne Eadie are both tied for the second with five assists and rank fifth with 0.45 assists per game.
Shea Groom is tied for sixth with four assists and with 0.36 assists per game.
Jordan Day leads the conference with a 0.27 goals-against average and eight shutouts.
IMPROVED DEFENSE
The three goals by Aggie opponents through the first 11 games is the fewest in school history. The previous low was the 2003 season when Texas A&M yielded five goals through 11 games. Last season, the Maroon and White allowed 20 goals en route to a 7-4 start.
Texas A&M ranks second in NCAA Division I with a 0.273 goals-against average. The Aggies trail only UCLA who has yielded two goals in nine games and owns a 0.212 GAA.
DAY AMONG NATION’S LEADERS IN GOALS-AGAINST AVERAGE
Sophomore Jordan Day ranks second in the nation in goals-against average with a 0.273 mark. She has allowed just three goals in 990 minutes of action. Day has recorded shutouts in eight of the Aggies’ last nine games. She now has 17 career shutouts and is the only player in school history to record seven consecutive shutouts. Nationally, she trails only UCLA’s Katelyn Rowland who has yet to give up a goal in 495 minutes of action.
THE AGGIE SOCCER HOUR
This year the Aggie Soccer Hour, Texas A&M soccer’s weekly radio talk show, is broadcast live from Rudy’s Bar-B-Que on Harvey Rd. in College Station every Wednesday from 7-8 p.m. Come and be a part of the show each week, listen locally on KZNE 1150 AM or worldwide on RadioAggieland.com. Each week, Aggie soccer play-by-play announcer David Ellis will be joined by head coach G Guerrieri, associate head coach Phil Stephenson, and Aggie players.
AGGIE SOCCER ON TV
The Aggie soccer team will be on the tube four times this season. A&M beat Long Beach State, 3-0, in a Sept. 7 match featured as a NSCAA College Game of the Week on the FOX Soccer Channel. The Sept. 30 match at Mississippi State will be on Cox Sports TV, the Oct. 7 Florida game will be on ESPNU and the Missouri game on Oct. 25 will be on SportSouth/ESPN3. The CST and SportSouth matches will also be on ESPN3.com and the ESPNU match will be streamed on WatchESPN.
