COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Riding a five-game winning streak with the top offense in the country, the 13th-ranked Texas A&M soccer team (8-4, 2-0 Big 12) travels to the Midwest this weekend to face Missouri (8-4, 0-2 Big 12) and Kansas (7-4, 0-1 Big 12) in a pair of conference matches.
Friday's match vs. the Tigers in Columbia, Mo., will start at 6:30 p.m. The Aggies will end the weekend in Lawrence, Kan., with a 1 p.m. Sunday game against the Jayhawks.
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.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Gametracker and live audio will be available for all A&M matches this weekend 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
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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 MISSOURI
The Tigers hold an 8-4 mark overall this season, and are 0-2 in Big 12 play after a 0-1 loss to Texas Tech and a 0-2 loss to Oklahoma State on the road last weekend. The team finished the 2010 season at sixth in the conference with a 5-5-0 Big 12 record, going 7-10-2 overall. This season the Mizzou offense is led by sophomores Alyssa Diggs and Dominique Richardson. Diggs tallies 10 points on the season with four goals and two assists. Richardson has eight points, on four goals, and recently received national weekly honors. Goalkeeper McKenzie Sauerwein has played 900 minutes in goal for Mizzou, allowing 10 goals while making 47 saves for four shutouts this season. From Aug. 21 to Sept. 11, the Tigers tied their record for consecutive wins with seven.
SCOUTING KANSAS
The Jayhawks are coming off of a 6-1 victory over Oral Roberts last Sunday and hold a 7-4 mark overall this season, with a 0-1 record in Big 12 play after a 1-5 loss at No. 2 Oklahoma State. In 2010 the team was 1-9-0, finishing 11th in the conference. The team was 6-13-0 last season, a record the Jayhawks have already improved on in 2011. Freshman forward Ingrid Vidal has been named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week for her efforts on the attack. Vidal leads the team with 21 points this season, on eight goals and five assists, netting three game winners along the way.
THE SERIES
A&M has matched up against both teams every year since 1996, holding a 12-4-1 advantage over Missouri and a 12-3-1 mark over Kansas.
Last year the seventh-ranked Aggies fought the Tigers on national television in Columbia, pushing ahead to a 4-2 victory over Mizzou. Then-junior Merritt Mathias had two goals, including the game winner, while sophomore Nora Skelton scored her first goal of the season.
A&M also took Kansas last season, with a 1-0 victory in Lawrence. The No. 10 Aggies got on the scoreboard in the 21st minute on a goal by Alyssa Mautz. Then-redshirt sophomore Beth West had an assist on the play. The Aggies nearly doubled the Jayhawks' shots, 27-15, and held a 10-4 shot on goal advantage.
LAST TIME OUT - IOWA STATE AND LOYOLA-CHICAGO
The Aggies took their second Big 12 victory of the season at home vs. Iowa State on Friday, topping the Cyclones 3-1. Freshman Kelley Monogue had a part in each of the three goals for A&M, netting two and assisting the game winner, scored by junior Nora Skelton. Freshman Jordan day spent all 90 minutes in goal, allowing ISU to get past her only once.
On Sunday A&M slammed Loyola-Chicago at Ellis Field. The Aggies recorded a 5-0 shutout, led by Skelton. The forward scored twice and contributed an assist. Day earned her first shutout of the season, fighting strong gusts of wind throughout the first period. Mathias, junior transfer Lindsey Witz and freshman Annie Kunz also netted goals in the action.
NO. 1 OFFENSE
Through last weekend's games, the Aggies have the No. 1 scoring offense in the nation, leading the NCAA with 3.92 goals per game. Freshman Annie Kunz is one of the nation's leading scorers with 10 goals this season.
AGGIE RPI
In the most recent RPI rankings (through games of Sept. 25) the Aggies sit at No. 20, led by only Oklahoma State in the Big 12. Kunz is listed at No. 26 in goals per game with a .833 average, and is tied for 25th in points per game (2.00).
STREAKING
The Aggies are riding a five-game winning streak, catapulted by a 4-3 overtime victory over No. 1 North Carolina on Sept. 11. Since then the team has topped Baylor (2-1), Fordham (13-1), Iowa State (3-1) and Loyola-Chicago (5-0).
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 seven starters and 11 letterwinners from a year ago.
FRESH TALENT
The Aggies' 10 freshmen have made a big impact on the 2011 squad. 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 16 of A&M's 47 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).
SKELTON ON THE NATIONAL SCENE
Skelton was named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week and was titled the Dallas Soccer News Player of the Week this week for her outstanding performances against Iowa State and Loyola-Chicago. The forward scored three goals, including the game winner against the Cyclones, and added an assist on the weekend.
BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK - MONOGUE
Monogue took her first conference honor this week, as she was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week. The forward from McKinney, Texas, led the Aggies to a 3-1 victory over Iowa State on Friday, scoring two of the three goals and assisting the game winner.
MONOGUE AND KUNZ NAMED TO OUR GAME MAGAZINE LISTS
Monogue was also named to the Our Game Magazine College Players to Watch list this week. Last week, Kunz was selected to the same list after scoring her career-second hat trick against Fordham and assisting two goals for eight points on the match.
FIVE AGGIES ON TDS BIG 12 TOP 20 LIST
Five members of the Aggie soccer team were named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Big 12 Top 20 Player Rankings. Mathias led the team with a No. 2 ranking. No. 4 Monogue, No. 7 Rachel Lenz and No. 9 Shea Groom rounded out A&M's top-10 selections, while Kunz completed the list of Aggies at No. 14. A&M and OSU were the only two teams with five players on the list.
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.