Sept. 4, 2008
AGGIE SOCCER TRAVELS TO VIRGINIA TECH
No. 11 Texas A&M soccer travels to Blacksburg, Va., this weekend for the Hawthorne Suites Invitational hosted by Virginia Tech. Also in attendance are George Washington and No. 17 Wake Forest. The tournament begins on Friday at 2:30 p.m. as the Colonials face the Demon Deacons. A&M takes on the Hokies at 5 p.m. On Sunday, the Aggies kick off against Wake Forest at 10 a.m. before the invitational concludes with Tech and George Washington at 12:30 p.m.
A&M (3-1-0) went 1-1 last weekend, dropping a hard-fought battle, 3-2, to No. 2 North Carolina and rebounding with a 3-1 win against Indiana on Sunday. Junior Laura Grace Robinson each added goals.
Live audio and live stats are available for the games on AggieAthletics.com.
GNATZIG NAMED BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior midfielder Amber Gnatzig was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 2. Gnatzig earned the honor for the first time in her career after an outstanding weekend against No. 2 North Carolina and Indiana. The Humble, Texas, product scored two goals against the Tar Heels and set up the first goal in a win against the Hoosiers. She helped bring A&M back from a 2-0 deficit in the second half of the UNC game, becoming the first Aggie to put up two goals against the 19-time national champions. Gnatzig's goals were a career high and also marked just the second time A&M has scored twice against North Carolina.
GNATZIG ALSO EARNS NATIONAL RECOGNITION
In addition to being honored by the Big 12, Gnatzig was selected to the Soccer Buzz Elite Team of the Week. Soccer Buzz selects a National Elite Team of the Week throughout the entire 2008 season. The Elite Team is a select honor first presented by Buzz in 2001. A&M has had players named to the team every season since its inception. The last player to receive the honor was former Aggie Ashlee Pistorius on Nov. 6, 2007.
SCOUTING VIRGINIA TECH
Virginia Tech enters the contest with a 2-1-0 record. The Hokies dropped their first match of the year to Davidson before defeating Evansville, 4-2, and George Mason, 2-0. In its first three contests, Tech has yet to score in the first half. Leading the way for the Hokies with five points is Marika Gray. Gray has two goals on the year along with Robin Chidester and Emily Jukich. Julian Johnson adds two assists. Ashley Owens is between the posts with three saves and a 1.33 goals against average. At the helm of the Tech program is 6th-year head coach Kelly Cagle who has cumulated a 40-43-10 record while at Virginia Tech.
VERSUS THE HOKIES
This is the first meeting between the A&M and Virginia Tech.
SCOUTING WAKE FOREST
The Demon Deacons come into the weekend ranked 17th and are undefeated at 3-0. Wake Forest has given up just one goal all season which came in a 2-1 win over Utah. The Demon Deacons shut out Francis Marion, 3-0, and Sarah Winslow recorded a hat trick in a 5-0 victory against UNC Wilmington. Winslow is one of three players with three goals this season. Allie Sadow and Jill Hutchinson (8 points) are the other two.
VERSUS THE DEMON DEACONS
This is the first meeting between Texas A&M and Wake Forest.
INDIANA RECAP
A&M surged for two late goals in a 3-1 victory over Indiana on Aug. 31. Hooper and Shipley both scored in the 77th minute to release the Aggies from a 1-1 deadlock with Indiana (1-2-0) in the second period. Robinson put A&M on the scoreboard with a first-half header. The Aggies dominated the offensive numbers outshooting the Hoosiers 22-4 and taking 12 corner kicks to Indiana's one.
NORTH CAROLINA RECAP
Gnatzig scored a pair of goals as A&M soccer dropped its first match of the year to No. 2 North Carolina, 3-2, after a back and forth battle ON Aug. 29. In front of 5,642 fans, Gnatzig and the Aggies came back from a 2-0 deficit in the first half, but a game-winning goal in the 82nd minute by UNC lifted the Tar Heels to 2-0 on the season, while A&M fell to 2-1.
THE OFFENSIVE NUMBERS
The Ags have better numbers than their opponents in every offensive category. A&M almost triples its challengers in shots (92-34) and corners (25-9) and more than doubles its foes in goals (17-6).
THE 12TH MAN
The Aggie Soccer Stadium is averaging a crowd of 4,384 per game. With more than 6,700 attending the home opener, A&M now holds the top two spots for the highest regular season attendance in the nation.
SHIPLEY LEADS THE WAY
After four games, Shipley leads the way with 10 points, including three goals and four assists. Shipley has been part of at least one goal in every match this season. Freshman Jennifer Kmezich and Gnatzig each have five points with two goals and one assist each.
A&M IN THE RANKINGS
Aggie soccer moved up in almost every national poll this week with its highest ranking at No. 11 by both the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and TopDrawerSoccer.com. A&M jumped five spots in the Soccer Buzz Top 30.