March 27, 2008
The reigning Big 12 champion Texas A&M soccer team looks to remain undefeated in spring exhibition play as it welcomes the Purdue Boilermakers to College Station on Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at the Aggie Soccer Stadium.
?We?â„¢re looking forward to a really tough match on Saturday night,? A&M head coach G Guerrieri said. ?Purdue is an excellent team with some really creative and dangerous players who are accustomed to winning. Playing another conference champion and NCAA Tournament seeded team like the Boilermakers is just the kind of on field experiences our young team needs to continue to mature and grow.?
Purdue, who finished the ?â„¢07 season with a record of 20-2-3, suffered its first loss of the spring to FC Indiana on March 20.
The Boilermakers dropped a 0-3 decision to the semi-professional club moving them to 3-1 in exhibition play.
Purdue captured its first ever Big Ten Tournament title this past November, beating Northwestern, 3-1, Illinois, 3-0, and then defeating Ohio State, 3-1, in the championship match.
Like the Aggies, the Boilermakers were ranked in the top-10 nationally for a majority of the 2007 campaign and earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Championship Tournament, falling to Indiana on penalty kicks in the second round.
A&M improved to 4-0-2 in spring play after posting a 4-1 win over the Mexico U20 National Team on March 1 and a 1-0 win over LSU on March 2.
The Aggies boast a well-balanced scoring attack with nine of their 14 field players scoring goals through six spring exhibition games.
?This will be our first full sided test since our return from Spring Break two weeks ago and Easter vacation last weekend so I?â„¢m looking forward to getting the team back out on the field and shaking the rust off against a team,? Guerrieri said. ?I?â„¢m a little concerned when our first game back is versus someone that?â„¢s as talented and well coached as Purdue. It should be a fun game for our fans to watch, especially since admission for this Saturday night is free to the public.?
Parking for Saturday?â„¢s soccer match is available in the lots accessible off Tom Chandler and Olsen Blvd.