COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The No. 17 Texas A&M soccer team (6-4, 1-0 Big 12) continues its Big 12 campaign at home against Iowa State (6-3-1, 0-0 Big 12) Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Ellis Field. The weekend will end with a 1:30 p.m. match vs. Loyola-Chicago (3-5-1) on Sunday.
Fans wanting to catch the action this weekend can listen to both games live online at AggieAthletics.com. Sunday's match will also be featured on 95.1-3 The Zone HD, available via RadioAggieland.com. Those with smartphones can download the app at RadioAggieland.com. To listen to the game from the stadium, tune in to 88.1FM.
FRIDAY NIGHT PROMOTIONS
Friday is Impact Night. Students wearing a 2011 Impact Camp t-shirt will receive FREE admission to the match. FREE admission will also be given to anyone who brings a canned good for donation to the Aggies CAN food drive, sponsored by the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Donations will be given to the Brazos Valley Food Bank. Kids who attend Thursday night's free youth clinic with the Aggie soccer team will receive a voucher to the game.
SUNDAY PROMOTIONS
Sunday is Scholars Day. Students involved in any honors organization at A&M, wearing their organization t-shirts, will get in to the game for FREE. As is usual for Sunday matches, one adult ticket will admit up to four children for FREE. Fans that bring their Oklahoma State football ticket to the match will be able to buy a discounted $3 ticket.
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. Sunday's game will also be featured on RadioAggieland.com and 95.1-3 The Zone HD, making it available worldwide on any iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry or PDA free of charge. Fans inside the stadium can listen to the live broadcast on 88.1FM.
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.
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.
SCOUTING IOWA STATE
The Cyclones enter their first conference match of the season with a 6-3-1 overall record. In 2010 the team was 8-10-2 overall with a 3-7-0 conference mark. Goalkeeper Maddie Jobe has four shutouts this season in five games, allowing only two goals. The sophomore earned Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week earlier this season for her efforts. Leading the Iowa State offense is sophomore Brittany Morgan. The forward has six points this season, on three goals. As a team the Cyclones rank third in the Big 12 in saves (38) and tie for second in shutouts (6).
SCOUTING LOYOLA-CHICAGO
The Ramblers come to College Station with a 3-5-1 overall record. Last season LUC was 7-12-1 overall and 4-3-1 in the Horizon League, ending the 2010 run with a first-round conference tournament loss to Wright State. This season the Ramblers return their top four scorers from last season: Kristin Papierski, Tricia Stonebraker, Alex Brown and Jessie Hubly. Freshman keeper Monica Gonyo tallies three shutouts this season in 360 minutes in goal. Loyola-Chicago is coming off of a four-game losing streak and will only face the Aggies this weekend.
THE SERIES
A&M has matched up against Iowa State every year since 1996. The Aggies hold a 15-1-2 advantage over the Cyclones. A&M has allowed only six goals by ISU all-time, compared to 46 scored by the Aggies. Both draws were in the Big 12 Tournament, while the Cyclones' one win came from a 1-0 game in College Station in 2005. Last season the Aggies won 1-0 in overtime. Then-junior Merritt Mathias netted the golden goal in the 96th minute for the A&M victory.
This is the second meeting between the Aggies and the Ramblers. The teams first competed in 2009 at the Aggie Soccer Stadium, resulting in a 2-1 overtime win for A&M. Then-freshman Lyndsey Gnatzig assisted the game-winner in the 93rd minute, and Nora Skelton scored the equalizer to take the game into a third period. Now-junior Ana Michelini gave the Aggies grief, forcing two saves.
The Cyclones and Ramblers met on Sept. 11 in Ames, a match that ended in a 4-0 victory for ISU. Iowa State freshman Kaeli Flaska scored her first career goal in the 34th minute and ended the game with a hat trick. Senior Mary Kate McLaughlin netted the first goal for the Cyclones.
LAST TIME OUT - BAYLOR AND FORDHAM
The Aggies hosted the first Big 12 match of the season on Friday, outscoring Baylor 2-1. Junior Chelsea Jones netted a header off of a cross by senior Merritt Mathias with 1:50 left in regulation to break the tie and give the Aggies a 1-0 conference record. Freshman Annie Kunz scored the first goal of the match, also on a header, when junior Beth West chipped a pass in from 25 yards.
 On Sunday A&M slammed Fordham at Ellis Field with a scoring frenzy. The Aggies posted a 13-1 victory as freshmen Kelley Monogue and Kunz scored hat tricks. Eight different A&M players netted goals, while 12 contributed assists. Two of the Aggies' team single-game records were broken against the Rams: goals (13) and assists (16).
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
The Aggies' 10 freshmen have made a big impact on the 2011 squad. Groom, Kunz and Kelley Monogue top the team offensively, while both keepers, McDermott and Jordan Day, are freshmen. Allie Bailey and Bianca Brinson contribute regularly as forwards and Meghan Streight, Katie Perry and Leigh Edwards round out the midfield. Each freshman has seen action already this season, while all-but 11 of A&M's 39 goals were netted by members of the Class of 2015.
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).
BIG 12 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK - KUNZ AND JONES
Kunz took her second weekly conference honor as she was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week for scoring four goals and two assists as the Aggies went 2-0. The freshman forward leads the league in points (21), points per game (2.10), goals (9) and goals per game (0.90). Jones netted both game winners and added two assists for A&M and was titled the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week. The junior is posting career bests in goals (3), assists (3) and points (9).
KUNZ NAMED TO TDS TEAM OF THE WEEK
Kunz was also selected to the TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week for her outstanding offensive weekend. This was the first national weekly honor for the freshman.
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.