August 24, 2006
The No. 9 Texas A&M soccer team will open the 2006 season with a tough match against No. 4 North Carolina at 8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 25 at the Aggie Soccer Stadium.
| MATCH INFO |
| Friday, Aug. 25, 8 p.m. (CDT) Aggie Soccer Stadium, College Station |
| 2005 RECORDS |
| Texas A&M: 18-4-2, NCAA Sweet Sixteen North Carolina: 23-1-1, NCAA Elite Eight |
| RANKINGS |
| A&M is ranked 9th by the NSCAA, Soccer Times and Soccer America, and 14th by Soccer Buzz. UNC is ranked 3rd by Soccer America and Soccer Times, 4th by the NSCAA and 6th by Soccer Buzz. |
| RADIO |
| AggieAthletics.com - 89.9 FM inside the stadium Matt Simon, play-by-play Carrie Berend, commentary (broadcast time 7:40 p.m. CDT) |
| INTERNET |
| Live Video (Free): (Aggies All-Access) Live Audio (Free): (Aggies All-Access) Live Stats: (aggieathletics.com) |
| SERIES |
| UNC leads, 7-0 Last Meeting: (11/29/02) Last in College Station: (8/27/00) |
| UP NEXT |
| A&M hosts Texas-San Antonio Sunday, Aug. 27, 2:30 p.m. (CDT) Aggie Soccer Stadium |
"We are looking forward to the match against North Carolina. They have set an amazing standard for excellence in college sports, having won 18 national championships under head coach Anson Dorrance," commented A&M head coach G. Guerrieri.
The Aggies are 0-7 all-time against the Tar Heels. The last meeting between the two teams was in 2003 when then No. 5 Texas A&M dropped a nail-biter in overtime to No. 1 North Carolina, 1-0, in front of an estimated 1,500 fans at Meyer Park in Spring, Texas.
A&M enters Friday night's match having shutout the 2005 Conference USA champion Rice Owls in a preseason exhibition match at home and then posted a 1-1 draw in their final preseason game against Ohio State at Columbus Crew Stadium in Ohio.
Texas A&M junior forward, Ashlee Pistorius was named one of "The Elite 12" on the Soccer Buzz Preseason All-America Team. A native of Bloomington, Ill., Pistorius led the Big 12 in scoring for 2005 with 22 goals while chipping in 12 assists for a conference leading 56 points. After a stellar sophomore campaign, Pistorius received Soccer Buzz All-America 3rd team and the All-Big 12 1st team accolades.
Senior forward, Heather O'Reilly of North Carolina was recently named Soccer Buzz Preseason National Player of the Year. O'Reilly scored 18 goals and dished out 11 assists for 47 points in 2005, leading the Tar Heels in scoring as a junior. In 2004, she was both an Olympic gold medalist and the 2004 U.S. Soccer Young Female Athlete of the Year.
"This is going to be a lot of fun - a great participation style game-day experience for everyone in attendance," continued Guerrieri. "I hope to see the Aggie Soccer Stadium packed this Friday. I believe in the 12th Man and know the 12th Man will again be a major advantage for us."
Free live video and audio of the match will be available on AggieAthletics.com through Aggies All-Access, a new partnership with CSTV. Log on to AggieAthletics.com for more information. Broadcast time is set for 7:40 p.m. (CDT). Fans attending the match can listen to the broadcast live inside and around the stadium on 89.9 FM.
Gates open at 6:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to arrive early and can purchase tickets at the gate or online at AggieAthletics.com. Parking for the match is available in lots designated 100g, 100j or 100k.