November 03, 2005
The 10th-ranked, Texas A&M soccer team (14-3-2) will face the No. 5 seed, Nebraska Huskers (12-6-1) in the semifinal round of the 2005 Big 12 Championships on Friday at 4:30 p.m. at the Blossom Soccer Stadium.
?We?â„¢ve had some classic battles against Nebraska over the years, both in the regular season and here in this event,? commented A&M head coach G Guerrieri. ?This game should prove to be an entertaining affair.?
On Wednesday, the top-seeded Aggies scored one goal in the first half and netted two more in the second to eliminate the No. 8 seed Missouri Tigers 3-1 in the first quarterfinal game of the Big 12 Championships.
Scoring for Texas A&M was Ashlee Pistorius, who now has the league lead in goals scored with 16, Carrie Berend, who notched the game-winner and Kat Krambeer, who recorded her sixth of the season.
In the second quarterfinal match, No. 4 seed Nebraska defeated No. 5 seed Kansas 3-1. Scoring for Nebraska was Aysha Jamani, Jessie Bruch and Brittany Timko. Caroline Smith scored the lone goal for the Jayhawks.
In the all-time series between the two teams, Nebraska leads 13-7. A&M has won the previous two matches in 2004 in Lincoln and 2005 at the Aggie Soccer Stadium. The Aggies won the ?'05 match 4-0 on a goal by Pistorius. However it was Krambeer who finished the other three A&M goals to record her first career hat-trick.
During previous tournament play, in San Antonio, Nebraska has won four of the six matches (1998, 2000, 2002 and 2003) The Aggies beat the Huskers in 2001 and 1997.
Heading into Friday's match, Ashlee Pistorius has totaled the most points in the conference (42); she also has the league lead in goals scored (16). Behind Pistorius, in second place, for most points is the Huskers?â„¢ Timko (39). Timko leads the Big 12 in assists with 19 in 20 games this season. Kati Jo Spisak was last year?â„¢s Big 12 Tournament Defensive MVP and remains in first place with the best goals against average in the league (0.73).
FOX Sports Net will televise Friday?â„¢s semifinal match between A&M and Nebraska live from the Blossom Soccer Stadium and Sunday?â„¢s championship match will be televised on a tape-delay basis. Check local listings for viewing in your area.
Tickets for the tournament are $5 per day or $10 for a three-day pass and can be purchased at the stadium or through Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com).
Those unable to attend the Aggie matches will be able to follow the action through live audio and statistics here on aggieathletics.com.
Remaining Tournament Schedule:
Friday, November 5
Game 5 4:30 p.m. Texas A&M vs. Nebraska (FSN-Live)
Game 6 6:30 p.m. Colorado vs. Texas
Sunday, November 6
Game 7 1:00 p.m. Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 (FSN- Tape Delayed)
Texas A&M vs. the Remaining Tournament Field:
Team Series Record in Big 12 Tourney
Colorado A&M leads 12-0-1, A&M leads 3-0-0
This season A&M won 2-1 in College Station (10/21)
Nebraska NU leads 13-7-0, NU leads 4-2-0
This season A&M won 4-0 in College Station (10/9)
Texas A&M leads 16-2-1, A&M leads 3-0-0
This season Texas won 2-1 in Austin (9/2)