COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The 11th-ranked Texas A&M soccer team kicks off a brand new season with a home matchup against 2010 NCAA Tournament team Fresno State. The Aggies and Bulldogs kick off on Friday, Aug. 19 at 6:30 p.m. at Ellis Field.
There are ample opportunities for fans to watch plenty of soccer this weekend. The A&M/Fresno State match on Friday follows a tournament-opening game between UC-Irvine and UTSA at 3:30 p.m. Similarly, on Sunday, the Aggies face UC-Irvine at 1:30 p.m. after a 10:30 a.m. game involving UTSA and FSU.
Parking is free and is available in the Reed Arena and Olsen Field parking lots. For added convenience, there are now two entrances on the north end of the stadium.
TICKET INFORMATION
Season and individual tickets for the 2011 season at a newly-upgraded Ellis Field are now for sale. Despite having renovated seating, all season tickets remain at the 2010 price. To purchase tickets, please contact the 12th Man Foundation Ticket Center at tickets.12thmanfoundation.com, 979-845-2311 or toll free at 1-888-99-AGGIE. Tickets are also available in person beginning one hour before the match at Ellis Field.
PROMOTIONS
On Friday, youth soccer players wearing their team jerseys will receive FREE admission to the match! Bring the whole team for a fun night at Ellis Field.
This Sunday and every Sunday at the Aggie Soccer Stadium, kids get in FREE! Up to four kids are admitted FREE with one paying adult.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Gametracker will be available for all A&M matches this weekend on AggieAthletics.com. In addition, live audio and live video will be provided for A&M games on AggieAthletics.com. Fans can listen to the broadcast live locally on 95.1-3 The Zone HD, making it available worldwide on any iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry or PDA free of charge. Log on to RadioAggieland.com to download the app.
LISTEN TO THE GAME AT THE STADIUM
Fans bring your radio to the Aggie Soccer Stadium and listen to play-by-play announcer David Ellis call all the action live on 88.1 FM.
FOLLOW @AGGIESOCCER ON TWITTER
Not following @AggieSoccer on Twitter? Sign up or sign in now to find out what's happening. You'll stay up-to-date on the latest news and receive live in-game updates at each and every match.
WHERE ARE THE AGGIES RANKED?
A&M is ranked No. 11 by both the NSCAA, jumping into the preseason top 15 after finishing the 2010 season ranked 16th. The team sits at No. 22 in the Soccer America poll. 2010 National Champion Notre Dame claimed the top in the NSCAA poll followed by Stanford, North Carolina, Boston College and Florida State.
TOP 15 AGAIN
With the 2011 No. 11 preseason ranking, A&M has been in the preseason national top 15 every year for 16 consecutive seasons.
BIG 12 CHAMPIONS
The Aggies won their 11th Big 12 Championship during the 2010 regular season. In its final home match, the No. 6 Aggies upset No. 5 Oklahoma State and were guaranteed a share of the title. A draw with Texas in the final game of the regular season made the Aggies the sole owners of the trophy.
A&M IN SEASON OPENERS AND AT HOME
Since 1993, Texas A&M is (13-1) when it opens its season at home and is 15-3 all-time in the first match of the year. The Aggies have kicked off the season four times at neutral sites with a 2-2 record. At home, the team boasts a 167-24-4 record, good for a .870 winning percentage.
2010 SEASON OPENER
The Aggie soccer team opened the 2010 season at home against two-time defending national champion and top-ranked North Carolina. The Tar Heels took a 3-0 victory over A&M, breaking the Aggies' 13-0 home opener streak that dated back to 1993. Then-junior Bri Young led the home team with four shots.
SCOUTING FRESNO STATE
Fresno State earned an NCAA berth last season for the fourth time in the program's history ('99, '05, '08, '10) and was eliminated in the first round by Central Florida. The Bulldogs begin their third season under head coach Brian Zwaschka, who led the team to a WAC Tournament Championship last season. Senior defender Kendall VanDine headlines for FSU in 2011 after leading the backline to nine shutouts in 2010 while adding a goal and two assists for four points. The team, which was 9-9-5 overall last season with a 3-3-2 WAC mark, returns seven letterwinners and four starters.
SCOUTING UC IRVINE
The No. 17 (NSCAA) Anteaters are also coming off of an NCAA Tournament season. UC Irvine ended 2010 in the NCAA Third Round with its second Big West Championship after an undefeated conference season (8-0-0). The team returns much of the 2010 squad with seven starters and 10 letterwinners, while adding 11 newcomers. Standouts from last season include senior Texas transfer Coco Goodson. The defender was named and NSCAA First Team All-American and the All-Big West Defensive Player of the Year. She was recently named a Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Candidate and was placed on the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. The Anteaters hunt for another winning season after posting a 19-3-2 overall mark a year ago.
Fresno State and UC Irvine met in an exhibition match last week at Anteater Stadium, resulting in a 2-0 victory for the home team. Sophomore UCLA transfer Natalia Ledezma netted both goals for UC Irvine.
THE SERIES
The Aggies and Anteaters have only met once. The match, on September 17, 2004 in College Station resulted in a 3-0 victory for A&M.
This is the first meeting between the Aggies and Bulldogs.
LAST TIME OUT - UCF EXHIBITION MATCH
Two freshmen found the back of the net as A&M rolled to a 2-1 win over Central Florida in an exhibition match on Aug. 13. Newcomer Annie Kunz scored the first goal for the Aggies in the 26th minute off of a free kick by senior Merritt Mathias. Kunz later assisted the game winner, scored by freshman Kelley Monogue from inside the box in the 89th minute. Freshman goalie Jordan Day collected four saves for the win.
2011 ROSTER
The Aggies' 24-player roster features 12 upperclassmen, two sophomores and 10 freshmen. A&M's fresh squad is guided by four seniors. The team returns 7 starters and 11 letterwinners from a year ago.
FRESH TALENT
Each of the Aggies' ten freshmen made a big impact on her high school and club teams. Recently, Katie Perry was named one of ten Freshmen of Influence by Soccer America, while Shea Groom and Annie Kunz were selected to the ESPN RISE Spring All-America List.
BIG 12 PRESEASON POLL
Texas A&M, the reigning conference champion, notched the second spot in the 2011 Big 12 Soccer Preseason Poll, after receiving three of the first-place votes and tallying 59 points. With 62 points, Oklahoma State was chosen to win the conference. Only 11 points separate the next four schools, as Missouri (44), Texas (43), Texas Tech (36) and Oklahoma (33) round out the top six. The remainder of the poll consists of Baylor (16), Kansas (16) and Iowa State (15).
TWO ON PRESEASON ALL-BIG 12 TEAM
Senior Merritt Mathias and sophomore Rachel Lenz earned spots on the Preseason All-Big 12 Team. This pair earned spots on the 2010 All-Big 12 First Team and the 2010 Big 12 All-Newcomer Team.
MAC HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LIST
Mathias and Young, both seniors, were placed on the Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy Watch List. The award is the highest honor in collegiate soccer and will be given to a winner on Jan. 6. The field will be narrowed to 15 semifinalists in late November. A&M was one of only eight schools who placed two selections on the list.
HOME SCHEDULE
A&M's home schedule in 2011 is quite favorable and should bring lots of excitement to the Aggie Soccer Stadium. There are 11 regular season contests on the home slate with four of those matches against teams that competed in the NCAA Tournament last season. The Aggies play four Big 12 games at home.
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
A&M faces one of America's toughest non-conference schedules in the nation. The Aggies' nine-game slate pits them against five teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2010, two of which (North Carolina and Duke) competed in the round of 16.
THE AGGIE SOCCER HOUR
This year the Aggie Soccer Hour, Texas A&M soccer's weekly radio talk show, is broadcast live from Ocean's Bar and Grill on Texas Ave. in College Station every Tuesday from 6-7 p.m. Come and be a part of the show each week, listen locally on KZNE 1150 AM or worldwide on Aggies All-Access and RadioAggieland.com.
AGGIE SOCCER ON TV
The Aggie soccer team will be on the tube for its Oct. 23 match against Oklahoma State at Ellis Field. The game will be broadcast nationwide on ESPNU. Last season the Aggies and Cowgirls played in College Station, ending in a 1-0 victory for the Aggies and their 11th Big 12 Championship.