August 31, 2006
The No. 4 Texas A&M soccer team will fight to remain undefeated this weekend as it kicks-off the first game of the Big 12-Big Ten Challenge against Illinois on Friday at 6 p.m. at the Aggie Soccer Stadium.
| MATCH INFO |
| Friday, Sept. 1, 6 p.m. (CDT) Aggie Soccer Stadium (3,000), College Station |
| RECORDS |
| Texas A&M: 2-0 Illinois: 1-1 |
| RANKINGS |
| A&M is ranked 4th by Soccer America, 5th by Soccer Times, 7th by Soccer Buzz and 9th by the NSCAA. Illinois is ranked 13th by the NSCAA and is receiving votes in the Soccer Times poll. |
| RADIO |
| AggieAthletics.com - 89.9 FM inside the stadium Matt Simon, play-by-play Carrie Berend, commentary (broadcast time 6:45 p.m. CDT) |
| INTERNET |
| Live Video (Free): (Aggies All-Access) Live Stats: (aggieathletics.com) |
| SERIES |
| Illinois leads, 1-0 Only Meeting: (11/14/04) |
| UP NEXT |
| A&M hosts (#2) Penn State Sunday, Sept. 3, 1:30 p.m. (CDT) Aggie Soccer Stadium |
Free live video of the match will be available on AggieAthletics.com through the new Aggies All-Access. Log on to AggieAthletics.com for more information. Fans attending the match can listen to the broadcast live inside and around the stadium on 89.9 FM.
"Illinois is a solid team," commented A&M head coach G. Guerrieri. "They are very well coached and organized in the way they play the game."
The Aggies are coming off a stellar performance last weekend that saw them improve to 2-0-0 after upsetting then No. 3 North Carolina, 1-0, in double overtime on Friday. A&M didn't let up on Sunday as six different Aggies netted goals in the 7-0 shutout of Texas-San Antonio.
The Illini enter the match 1-1-0 after opening the season at the Nike Invitational hosted by the University of Missouri. Then No. 13 Illinois gutted out a, 1-0, victory over South Carolina in the first game only to come across a stumbling block on Saturday, dropping a 5-0 contest to Missouri in the championship match. The loss caused the Illini to drop out of the rankings.
A&M freshman goalkeeper, Kristin Arnold recently earned Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week and Soccer Buzz Elite Team of the Week accolades after posting a shutout in her first collegiate start against the Tar Heels. She made four saves in the double overtime match and played all 110 minutes of the game on Friday night. In her second start, Arnold put up zeros again as she kept the Roadrunners out of the net in the first-half she spent tending the goal.
The only previous meeting between the two teams came in 2004 when then No. 19 Illinois upset No. 7 Texas A&M, 2-1, in second round action of the NCAA Tournament in front of 1,098 fans at the Aggie Soccer Stadium.
"Friday can be a fun-filled day for all Aggies," said Guerrieri. "The 12th Man can help us in our game, then go across the street to Reed Arena to see Wayne Brady perform at First Yell and wrap up the evening with Midnight Yell Practice at Kyle Field. It's great that all these big events have been scheduled in such a way to allow everyone to participate in them all. I hope that the 12th Man will be here in full force to help us continue our undefeated run through this tough portion of our 2006 schedule."
Gates open at 5 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.