August 12, 2005
The Big 12 Champion Texas A&M soccer team earned a No. 7 ranking as Soccer Buzz Magazine released its preseason top 30 poll.
"We're pleased with the high ranking, and it is a reflection of our team and the strong winning tradition at Texas A&M, but it is only the pre-season" Aggie head coach G. Guerrieri said. "We have a lot of work to get done, but I am pleased for our squad."
The Aggies, who return 10 starters and 23 letterwinners from a 2004 squad that won the Big 12's regular season and tournament championships and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 10th consecutive year, also were the highest ranked team in the Big 12 and the Central Region.
North Carolina earned the top ranking, followed by defending national champion Notre Dame, 2004 runner-up UCLA, Portland and Virginia. Penn State, A&M, Santa Clara, Duke and UConn rounded out the top 10. No. 13 Nebraska, No. 22 Colorado, No. 27 Texas and No. 29 Kansas were the other Big 12 schools represented in the poll.
In the Central Region rankings, Nebraska, Colorado, Tennessee and Texas followed the Aggies and rounded out the top five.
Texas A&M will likely welcome some of the teams listed above to Aggieland for the 2005 Women's College Cup, December 2-4 at the Aggie Soccer Complex. Tickets for the event are available now online at www.aggieathletics.com or by calling 1-888-99-AGGIE.
The Aggies open the year on Saturday, Aug. 20 with an exhibition match against Southern Miss at the Aggie Soccer Complex. A&M begins the regular season at home on Friday, Aug. 26 against Stephen F. Austin. Kickoff for both matches is set for 8 p.m. Single-match and season tickets are available by logging on to www.aggieathletics.com or by calling 1-888-99-AGGIE.