COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Rated second in the conference, the No. 15 Texas A&M soccer team (9-5, 3-1Big 12) heads to Lubbock to play Texas Tech (8-3-2, 2-0-1 Big 12) Friday at 7 p.m. in a Big 12 match at the John Walker Soccer Complex.
Fans wanting to catch the action this weekend can listen to the game live online at AggieAthletics.com. Live stats will also be available through the A&M web site.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Gametracker and live audio will be available for the match this weekend on AggieAthletics.com. Live video by Texas Tech can also be viewed, and is available through the A&M web site.
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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 TEXAS TECH
The Red Raiders are 8-3-2 this season, with a 2-0-1 conference mark. In 2010 the team was 11-8-1, finishing 7th in the Big 12 with a 4-5-1 conference record. Last weekend Texas Tech tied Baylor in Waco with a scoreless game that ended in double overtime, before defeating Oklahoma, 2-0, in Norman. Sophomore Jessica Fuston heads the Red Raider offense, recording 12 points on the season with six goals, one of them a game winner. Sophomore Victoria Esson has spent 1,050 minutes in goal, playing in all but one of Tech's 13 games. The goalkeeper is second in the Big 12 in shutouts, while Texas Tech leads the league as a team. Esson has earned four Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week awards, including the last three consecutive honors, which she earned for posting six shutouts in-a-row.
THE SERIES
A&M has matched up against Texas Tech every year since 1994. The Aggies have lost only once, in 1999. The teams tied in a scoreless match in 2009 in College Station, and A&M holds a 15-1-1 overall advantage.
Last year the No. 10 Aggies hosted the Red Raiders, winning a 4-0 shutout that was led by then-senior Rachel Shipley's two second-half goals. Then-junior Bri Young netted the first goal of the match in the 17th minute. Whitney Hooper followed with the 2-0 goal 10 minutes later. Goalkeeper Kelly Dyer made four saves en route to her fourth shutout of the season.
LAST TIME OUT - MISSOURI AND KANSAS
The Aggies split a pair of Big 12 matches on the road last weekend. The trip began with a hard-fought 1-0 loss to Missouri in Columbia, Mo. A&M outshot the Tigers, 18-16, including an 11-to-7 shots-on-goal advantage, but couldn't capitalize on opportunities to score.
On Sunday the Aggies faced Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., and ended the day with a 3-0 shutout of the Jayhawks. Kansas had never been blanked in 2011, but sure-handed Aggie goalkeeper Jordan Day grabbed six saves on the match and earned her second shutout of the season. Senior Merritt Mathias netted the first goal of the match in the 10th minute, assisted by freshman Katie Perry. With 11 minutes left in the first half, senior Rachael Balaguer passed to freshman Leigh Edwards, who sent a cross to freshman Allie Bailey. Bailey attacked from the left and scored the 2-0 goal. A penalty kick by freshman Kelley Monogue after she was fouled in the box gave A&M the final 3-0 lead with 6:02 on the clock in the second half.
NATIONAL OFFENSE
Through last weekend's games, the Aggies have the No. 2 scoring offense in the nation, leading all-but one NCAA team with 3.57 goals per game. Perry and junior Beth West are tied at 21st in the nation in assists per game with a 0.58 average, while the pair and Mathias are tied at 14th in total assists with 7. Freshman Annie Kunz is one of the nation's leading scorers, ranked 17th with 10 goals this season. Monogue sits at 26th in total goals with 9, and Kunz joins her at No. 18 in total points with 24.
AGGIE RPI
In the most recent RPI rankings (through games of Oct. 2) the Aggies sit at No. 19, led by only Oklahoma State (No. 14) 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).
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 last 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 last 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 last week. The previous 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.