August 12, 2006
The back-to-back Big 12 Champion Texas A&M soccer team opens the 2006 season at home on Sunday when the Aggies host Rice in an exhibition match. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Aggie Soccer Stadium.
?We are all very excited to start the preseason portion of our schedule,? commented A&M head coach G. Guerrieri. ?It will be good for us to play a tough Rice side, and will serve as a good opportunity for the fans to get a look at our 2006 squad and what we hope will be the start of another championship season.?
The Aggies return nine starters and 18 letterwinners from last year's squad (18-4-2) that won both the Big 12 regular season and postseason tournament championships for the second consecutive year. The Aggies advanced to the NCAA tournament for the 11th straight year and fell to eventual national semifinalist Penn State in the Round of 16.
Junior forwards Ashlee Pistorius and Melissa Garey finished the 2005 season No. 1 and No. 2 in the Big 12 in scorning. Pistorius registered 22 goals and 12 assists while Garey netted 19 goals and dished out three assists.
Rice won the Conference USA tournament championship in 2005, finishing the season with a 13-7-1 mark and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year, before falling to Cal in the First Round. The Owls also return nine starters and 18 letterwinners, while welcoming seven new additions to the squad.
Retuning to lead the scoring attack for the Owls is Caitlin Robbins, who finished ?â„¢05 with 14 goals and seven assists.
Live stats of the match will be available on aggieathletics.com. Check the website as match time nears for the availability of live match audio. Fans attending the match can listen to the broadcast inside the stadium on 89.9 FM.
Gates open one hour prior to the match. Fans can purchase tickets at the gate or online at aggieathletics.com. Parking for the match is available in lots designated 100g, 100j or 100k.