March 27, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The Elite Eight Texas A&M soccer team continues its spring season on Sunday hosting TCU at the Aggie Soccer Stadium at 2:30 p.m.
The Aggies will wear green and white socks and goalkeepers will wear solid green jerseys and shorts on Sunday in honor of Erin Buenger, a member of the Mystic '97 soccer team who is losing her battle with cancer. Fans are also encouraged to wear green as it is Erin's favorite color. The Mystic `97 will serve as ball girls for the game. Admission is free to the public.
The Aggies have been training for the past five weeks and last went 3-0 at the annual 7v7 Tournament in College Station on Feb. 22. The Aggies defeated Houston and Rice, 7-1, before downing North Texas, 7-2 to finish the tournament as the only unbeaten team.
Freshmen Jennifer Kmezich combined for eight goals and eight assists at the tournament. Junior Natalie Currie recorded a hat trick against Rice and tallied four goals on the day. Junior Amber Gnatzig also added three goals and an assist.
The Horned Frogs are near the end of their spring season after a 14-4-2 record in 2008. TCU finished third in the Mountain West Conference with a 4-2-1 record.
Texas A&M uses its nontraditional season to build on a 2008 campaign in which the Aggies secured their 14th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. A&M advanced to the quarterfinals of the championship before falling in double overtime to the eventual National Champions, North Carolina. The Aggies finished the season ranked seventh in the nation with an 18-5-1 record.
The Aggies host TCU in the first of six spring exhibition matches, all of which are held at the Aggie Soccer Stadium. A&M plays the next three weekends welcoming NCAA Tournament teams LSU and BYU on April 4, Big 12 Tournament Champion Oklahoma State on April 10 and Stephen F. Austin and 2008 NCAA Tournament qualifier Marquette on April 18.