COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The Texas A&M soccer team will host Dartmouth in front of one of the largest crowds of the season Friday at 6:30 p.m. as Fish Camp Night at Ellis Field kicks off First Yell Weekend in Aggieland.
Thousands of students are expected to be in attendance as A&M hosts the Big Green in their first match of the season on Aggie soccer's annual Fish Camp Night. Students wearing a 2011 Fish Camp t-shirt will receive FREE admission to the newly-upgraded Ellis Field.
A match against McNeese State on Monday, Sept. 5, will round out the Labor Day weekend festivities in College Station. The contest is slated for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff. As is usual with Sunday matches, up to four kids will receive FREE admission with the purchase of one adult ticket on Monday.
Fans wanting to catch the action this weekend can listen live on AggieAthletics.com during both games, and can hear the play-by-play for Monday'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 for sale at the 2010 price, despite having renovated seating. 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.
PARKING
Parking for both matches will be FREE in lots 100J and 100G for those with campus parking passes. Fans without campus parking passes will be charged $5 to park on Friday, due to First Yell activities immediately after the match. Parking for Monday's game will be Free to all fans attending the match.
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 the games on AggieAthletics.com. During Monday's match, fans can listen to the broadcast live 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.
FISH CAMP NIGHT
All students wearing a 2011 Fish Camp t-shirt will receive FREE admission to Friday's match. Come early to secure a seat at Ellis Field at what is sure to be one of the most packed venues in college soccer this season. The class of 2015 is the largest freshman class in the history of A&M.
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. This season, the Aggies defeated Fresno State, 4-2, at home in their season opener.
SCOUTING DARTMOUTH
The Big Green will play their first match of the season this Friday at Ellis Field. In 2010, Dartmouth tabbed a 7-7-2 overall record, and was 4-2-1 in Ivy League Conference play to tie for third. The team is under the direction of first-year head coach Theresa Wagner this season. Sophomore Marina Moschitto is the leads the returning starters this season, recording 10 points a year ago on four goals and two assists. The midfielder netted two game winners in 2010 and was named honorable mention All-Ivy. Junior defender Aurelia Solomon and sophomore midfielder Chrissy Lozier were selected to the 2010 All-Ivy second team.
SCOUTING McNEESE STATE
The Cowgirls went 4-12-3 last season, with a 1-5-3 conference mark. McNeese State returns 16 letterwinners, 10 of them starters from the 2010 season, and adds 10 newcomers to the roster. The team comes to College Station with a 1-3 record after two weekends of play. Last weekend the Cowgirls hosted Louisiana Tech and Arkansas-Little Rock in Lake Charles, defeating La. Tech, 2-1 in McNeese State's first victory of the season before dropping an overtime decision to Arkansas-Little Rock. Sophomore midfielder Johna Germany netted a goal in each match. The Cowgirls travel to Louisiana-Monroe Friday for a 4 p.m. match before continuing on to College Station for Monday's game.
THE SERIES
A&M has matched up against the Big Green one other time, in 2007 when the Aggies blanked Dartmouth in their home opener in College Station, 2-0.
The Aggies and Cowgirls have also met once before, in 2008 when A&M rolled over McNeese State with a 9-0 victory. Then-freshman Bri Young contributed a goal for the Aggies.
LAST TIME OUT - TENNESSEE AND NO. 7 FLORIDA
The Aggies narrowly fell to Tennessee and No. 7 Florida at the First Annual Lady Vol Classic in Knoxville, Tenn. A&M outshot each team, leading the Gators with a 21-to-12 shot advantage and topping the Lady Vols, 16-to-8. Freshmen Kelley Monogue and Annie Kunz scored goals for A&M against Florida before a shot by the Gators with 15 seconds left in regulation play broke the tie. Tennessee's lone goal was netted on a penalty kick.
ALL-LADY VOL CLASSIC TEAM
Three Aggies were named to the Lady Vol Classic All-Tournament Team. Juniors Lyndsey Gnatzig and Chelsea Jones and freshman Kelley Monogue received all-tournament honors after a weekend in Knoxville.
Monogue's goal in the 35th minute of the match against Florida tied the game at 1-1, while two of her shots against Tennessee hit the woodwork. The freshman posted five shots on the weekend. Jones took four shots in two matches and placed two on frame. Gnatzig led the Aggie defense in making three blocks and one team save, while keeping the ball at the feet of the Aggie front line.
WITZ JOINS THE AGGIES
Junior transfer Lindsey Witz (Temecula, Calif.) comes to the Aggies from Cal State San Bernardino where she started as a forward. Witz will see action as a midfielder and defender with A&M, and is eligible to play immediately.
2011 ROSTER
The Aggies' 25-player roster features 13 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 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 Ellis Field. 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.