Nov. 4, 2008
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Eighth-ranked Texas A&M travels to the Big 12 Soccer Championship in San Antonio, Texas, this week. The Aggies enter the conference tournament as the No. 2 seed and take on No. 7-seeded Kansas on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m. at the Blossom Soccer Stadium.
The championship is single elimination and continues with the semifinals on Friday, Nov. 7 and the finals on Sunday, Nov. 9.
The Aggies are 15-3-1 overall and 7-2-1 in Big 12 play and enter the championship after defeating Houston Baptist, 6-2, in their last regular season home game. Sophomore Becca Herrera is right behind Shipley with seven assists.
Freshman Laura Grace Robinson and freshman Jennifer Kmezich have five each. Sophomore Inge Harding, junior Emily Peterson, Robinson and Shipley. First team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA.
COSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
Peterson and Robinson were also selected to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District Women's Soccer Team. Peterson carries a 3.96 cumulative grade point average as a finance major and was named to the Academic-All District first team. Robinson earned academic honors on the second team with a 3.78 GPA as a finance and accounting double major in the Mays Business School Honors Program.
SCOUTING KANSAS
The Jayhawks are 11-7-1 overall and finished 7th in the conference standings after a 6-0 loss to Missouri on Oct. 31. KU is led by Monica Dolinsky with a team-high eight goals and 22 points. Jessica Bush is the team leader with seven assists and Emily Cressy and Shannon McCabe both tally 17 points. Four Jayhawks have five goals or more. Julie Hanley is in goal with a 1.46 goals-against average and a .684 save percentage.
Head Coach Mark Francis is in his 10th season at KU with an overall record of 115-77-14. He led the program to its first three NCAA Tournament appearances and helped the team to its sole soccer conference championship in 2004.
VERSUS THE JAYHAWKS
Texas A&M is 10-2-1 against Kansas all time. The Jayhawks defeated the Aggies in Lawrence, Kan., 1-0, earlier this year. McCabe found the back of the net on a cross in the first half and A&M could not answer, putting just three shots on frame. The Aggies outscored the Jayhawks 41-9 in 13 contests.
NCAA SELECTION SHOW
While the winner of the Big 12 Championship receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the NCAA selection show is set for Monday, Nov. 10 between 7-7:30 p.m. CT on ESPNews.
THE LONE RANGER
A&M was the lone team in the conference without a travel partner this season and the Aggies ended the regular season second in the league - the best finish that any team without a travel partner ever has in the Big 12.
AGGIE RPI
A&M is ranked eighth in the top-25 polls and holds the same ranking in the NCAA Women's Soccer Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). UCLA, North Carolina, Stanford, Florida State and Portland are listed as the top five. The Aggies are the highest ranked Big 12 program. Oklahoma State (13th), Texas (16th) and Colorado (17th) are listed in the top 20.
BIG 12 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Mautz was named the Big 12 Newcomer Player of the Week on Nov. 3, marking A&M's 10th Big 12 Player of the Week this season. This team effort breaks the Aggies' previous record of six such honors in one season.
AGGIE STARTERS
A&M boasts one of the youngest starting lineups in the nation as five freshmen and three sophomores are amidst the 11 starters on the field. The Aggies have just two seniors on the squad.
A&M AGAINST THE NATION
The Aggies rank as the 18th-best scoring offense in the nation with 2.42 goals per game. The Ags' 15-3-1 record ranks 14th. Dyer is ranked 46th with a 0.76 goals-against average and 55th with a 0.837 save percentage.
IN THE BIG 12
A&M is ranked second in the league in points (132), goals (46), goals per game (2.42), assists (40) and assists per game (2.11), and fourth with 109 corner kicks and a 0.89 goals-against average. The Ags are also second in Big 12 shutouts (6) and tally eight on the year, which ranks third.