COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The No. 17 Texas A&M soccer team (1-1) travels to Knoxville, Tenn., this weekend for a pair of matches against 7th-ranked Florida (2-0) and host Tennessee (2-0) at the Regal Soccer Stadium.
The Aggies start the weekend off with a challenging match against a top 10 opponent when they play Florida at 4:30 p.m. CST. On Sunday at 10:30 a.m., A&M will battle with Tennessee, who is receiving votes in top 25 polls.
Fans wanting to catch the action in the Tennessee Lady Vol Classic this weekend can listen live on AggieAthletics.com during both games, and can hear the play-by-play for Sunday's match on RadioAggieland.com or on 95.1-3 The Zone HD.
TICKET INFORMATION
Season and individual tickets for the 2011 home 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.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Gametracker will be available for all A&M matches this weekend on AggieAthletics.com. In addition, live audio will be provided for the games on AggieAthletics.com. Sunday's match will feature live video, and fans can listen to the match's 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.
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. 17 by Soccer Times and No. 18 by the NSCAA. The team is also receiving votes in the Soccer America and CollegeSoccer360.com polls. 2010 National Champion Notre Dame claimed the top in the NSCAA poll, followed by Stanford, North Carolina, Portland and Maryland.
AT THE TOP AGAIN
With the 2011 No. 11 preseason ranking, A&M has been in the preseason national top 15 every year for 16 consecutive seasons. The Aggies have also consistently appeared in top 25 polls every week for the past 16 years.
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 (14-1) when it opens its season at home and is 16-3 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. Last weekend, the Aggies defeated Fresno State, 4-2 at home in their season opener.
SCOUTING FLORIDA
The Gators took both the SEC regular season and tournament titles last season, posting a 9-1-1 mark in regular season play. The team finished the 2010 season in the NCAA second round with a No. 12 national ranking and a 19-2-3 overall record. No. 7 Florida took to the road on opening weekend, defeating both Miami and Florida International, 2-0. Senior Tahnai Andujar netted the final goal on Sunday and now ranks sixth on the Gators' career points list with 72 tallies on 29 goals and 14 assists. The team returns nine letterwinners, eight of them starters, from the 2010 squad and welcomes 13 newcomers.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE
The Lady Volunteers finished the 2010 season third in the SEC with a 7-3-1 conference mark. The team was 10-9-1 on the season overall. Last weekend Tennessee opened play with a pair of Big 12 road matches. The Lady Vols defeated Kansas, 2-1, on Friday before taking Oklahoma, 3-1, in the weekend closer on Sunday. Sophomore Caroline Brown netted a penalty kick in overtime against Kansas for the win, and added two goals against Oklahoma for three on the trip. The midfielder leads the Tennessee offense with six points and two game winners and was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week and a CollegeSoccer360.com Primetime Performer of the Week after the weekend. The Lady Vols return 16 letterwinners, seven of them starters, and welcome 11 newcomers.
THE SERIES
The Aggies lead the Gators in all-time contests, 4-1. The teams last met in the 2008 NCAA Round of 16 at Gainsville, Fla., resulting in a 2-1 victory for A&M.
This is the first meeting between the Aggies and Lady Vols.
LAST TIME OUT - AGGIELAND INVITATIONAL
The Aggies rolled over Fresno State with a 4-2 victory on Friday night at Ellis Field. Freshman Allie Bailey scored two goals, including the game winner, and was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week. Freshmen Leigh Edwards and Shea Groom also had a goal each, while Kelley Monogue contributed two assists, making the class of 2015 a big part of the game. A&M ran out of time in Sunday's match against UC Irvine. The Aggies outshot the Anteaters 21-5, but couldn't find the back of the net in time as UCI took a 1-0 victory.
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).
BAILEY NETS BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Bailey led the Aggies on the week with four points on two goals. Both came in the match against Fresno State and included the game winner. The true freshman placed three shots on frame in six tries for a .500 shots-on-goal percentage and was named the first Big 12 Player of the Week of the 2011 season.
TWO AGGIES 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. The show is brought to you by Monograms & More.
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.