April 26, 2010
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The Texas A&M soccer team and head coach G Guerrieri look to remain one of the elite teams in the nation as they prepare to embark on a new campaign with the release of a challenging 2010 schedule.
The Aggies kick off the '10 slate at home against 20-time NCAA national champion North Carolina and compete against eight teams that received bids to the NCAA field of 64 a year ago.
"We are excited about the challenges this schedule of games provides us," said Guerrieri. "Our non-conference portion of the schedule gives us match-ups against seven teams who were with us in the NCAA Tournament last year, and in order to meet our players' goal of winning a national title we have to prepare them against championship-level competition all season long."
The Aggies, who lost just two players and return 24 letterwinners from a 2009 Sweet 16 squad, face NCAA Tournament teams, North Carolina, St. John's, Virginia Tech, Washington State, Davidson, Purdue, Portland and Oklahoma State. Three of those squads (Portland, Virginia Tech and UNC) joined A&M in the round of 16, two (Portland and UNC) advanced to the Elite Eight, while the Tar Heels rose to a national championship.
Texas A&M plays its first five matches of the season and 12 overall at the Aggie Soccer Stadium, which was the host site of the 2009 NCAA Women's College Cup.
"The Aggie Soccer Stadium is one of the greatest college soccer venues because of the perfect playing surface, the intimacy of the stadium with our huge home crowds and the great environment created by the passionate A&M students who make up the 12th Man," said Guerrieri. "Our fans will be excited to see the collection of opponents who'll visit Aggieland during the 2010 regular season and I'm hoping to see most of those played in front of full-house crowds."
Prior to its home opener against North Carolina on Aug. 20, the Aggies host Rice in a preseason exhibition match on Aug. 14. A&M then welcomes St. John's (Aug. 22), and Virginia Tech (Aug. 27) and Washington State (Aug. 29) as part of the Aggieland Invitational Tournament.
In its first road trip of 2010, Texas A&M heads north for matches at Indiana (Sept. 10) and Purdue (Sept. 12).
A trip to perennial powerhouse Portland follows on Sept. 17 before the Aggies return home for their final non-conference game against Cal State Northridge (Sept. 19).
The Big 12 schedule starts on Sept. 24 against Colorado. The Buffaloes are one of five league opponents to visit the Aggie Soccer Stadium in 2010, including Baylor (Oct. 8), Texas Tech (Oct. 10), Oklahoma (Oct. 22) and Oklahoma State (Oct. 24).
Conference road trips send Texas A&M to Nebraska (Sept. 26), Kansas (Oct. 1), Iowa State (Oct. 15), Missouri (Oct. 17) and Texas (Oct. 29).
The Big 12 Tournament plays out Nov. 3, 5, and 7 in San Antonio, Texas, and the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament begin on campus sites Nov. 12-14. The Aggies look to make their 16th straight appearance in the postseason, which ends with the NCAA Women's College Cup on Dec. 4 and 6 in Cary, N.C.