August 16, 2005
The defending Big 12 Champion Texas A&M soccer team earned a No. 6 ranking in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/Adidas Preseason Poll, released Tuesday.
"We very much appreciate this recognition from the country's soccer coaches," said head coach G Guerrieri, whose squad earned a top-six preseason ranking for the fourth straight year. "This will just be another challenge for us and we hope to meet and possibly exceed these expectations."
Defending national champion Notre Dame sits atop the poll, followed by North Carolina, UCLA, Virginia, Santa Clara, A&M, Portland, Penn State, Connecticut and Ohio State.
Six teams on the Aggies' 2005 schedule earned spots in the poll, including No. 14 Stanford, No. 17 Nebraska, No. 20 Washington and No. 23 Kansas, with Colorado and Texas receiving votes.
The Aggies 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.
A&M opens the year on Saturday, Aug. 20 with an exhibition match against Southern Miss at the Aggie Soccer Stadium. The Aggies begin 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.
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.