COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The No. 21 Texas A&M soccer team travels to San Antonio this week for the Big 12 Soccer Tournament at the Blossom Soccer Stadium. The Aggies (13-5-1, 6-1-1 Big 12) will face No. 7 seed Kansas (11-8, 3-5 Big 12) in the quarterfinal round, to be played at 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
The Aggies defeated Texas last weekend in a 3-0 shutout in Austin, earning a point in the State Farm Lone Star Showdown. Last season, the No. 1-seeded Aggies tied with Colorado, 0-0, and advanced on penalty kicks to the semifinal round of the Big 12 Tournament, where they fell to Oklahoma, 0-1 in overtime.
Kansas fell to Oklahoma, 0-3, last weekend, but secured the No. 7 seed for the tournament. Last season, the Jayhawks missed out on the Big 12 Championship when the team ended the regular season 11th in the conference.
Fans wanting to catch the action this week can listen to the games live online at AggieAthletics.com. Live stats will also be available through the A&M web site. Wednesday's match will also be broadcast on 95.1-3 The Zone HD. Fans wishing to watch the match live can see the game on Big12Sports.com.
TICKETS/FREE ADMISSION FOR A&M STUDENTS
Tickets can be purchased online through the San Antonio Sports Foundation web site, www.SanAntonioSports.org, or at the gate. Individual game tickets and packages are available. All Texas A&M students will receive FREE admission to the Aggies' matches, thanks to a generous donation by a pair of A&M former students and Aggie soccer fans. To receive the deal, students must display a current A&M ID at the gate. All fans who wear maroon to the Aggies' games this week will receive a $2 discount on tickets. The Aggies own eight of the top 10 attendance records at the Big 12 Tournament in San Antonio, and are looking to push that to nine.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Live stats and live audio will be available for Wednesday's match on AggieAthletics.com. A live audio broadcast will also be featured on 95.1-3 The Zone HD, making it available worldwide on any smartphone or HD radio. Visit RadioAggieland.com to download the app. Fans wanting to watch the game can view it live on Big12Sports.com.
If the Aggies advance to the semifinal round, the broadcast can be heard on AggieAthletics.com and viewed on Big12Sports.com. Sunday's Championship match will also be on 95.1-3 The Zone HD, and will be broadcast locally on FSN.
FOLLOW @AGGIESOCCER ON TWITTER
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A&M AT THE BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP
This year marks A&M's 16th consecutive and final trip to the Big 12 Championship, which is in its 16th year of existence. The Aggies own a 21-10-3 all-time record at the tournament and are one of just two teams (Texas) that have qualified for all 16 championships. The last time A&M brought home a tournament trophy was in 2005 after defeating Missour, Nebraska and Colorado. In 2010 the Aggies tied with Colorado and advanced on penalty kicks before falling to Oklahoma, 0-2 in the semifinals. A&M is 6-1-1 this season against the other seven tournament teams.
BIG 12 RUNNERS-UP
The Aggies enter the Big 12 Championship as the No. 2 seed after a tough regular season. A&M had a rocky start to the season, but quickly picked up momentum after a 4-3 overtime upset against top-ranked North Carolina on the road. The team only suffered one loss in conference play, shutting out five of eight Big 12 opponents. The Aggies' strong finish in regular-season conference play helped them to a No. 2 seed in the Big 12 Tournament.
NCAA TOURNAMENT
A&M will learn its fate on Monday, Nov. 7, as the field of 64 teams in the NCAA Tournament is announced. The selection show will be broadcast on NCAA.com at 3:30 p.m. CST. The Aggies have made 16 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Last season, the No. 4-seeded and ninth-ranked Aggies traveled to Minneapolis, Minn., where they drew with North Dakota State, 1-1, and advanced to the second round on penalty kicks. The team fell to host Minnesota in the NCAA second round, 0-2.
SCOUTING KANSAS
The Jayhawks finished the regular season with an 11-8 overall record and a 3-5 conference mark. The team is coming off of a 0-3 loss to No. 8 seed Oklahoma, looking to avenge a regular-season, 0-3 loss to the Aggies. Ingrid Vidal leads the team with 11 goals and five assists, ranking second in the conference in goals and third in points (27) and goals per game (0.58). Kaitlyn Stroud has spent 1,143 minutes in goal for KU, sitting at third in the league in saves (63) and saves per game (4.85).
THE SERIES
The Aggies and Jayhawks have met each year since 1996, with A&M owning a 13-3-1 advantage over KU. The Aggies' 13th victory over the Jayhawks came earlier this season in the form of a 3-0 shutout and was the first time Kansas had lost in a shutout all season. Freshmen Katie Perry, Leigh Edwards and Kelley Monogue each netted goals for A&M. Freshman Jordan Day spent all 90 minutes in goal, making six saves for the shutout.
LAST TIME OUT - TEXAS
The Aggies defeated Texas, 3-0 on Friday in Austin, earning a point for A&M in the State Farm Lone Star Showdown. Senior Bri Young scored a goal and contributed an assist, while senior Merritt Mathias and Monogue had a goal each. The Aggie defense only allowed Texas to place three shots on frame, and Day was there each time with a save.
NATIONALLY RANKED
The Aggies have been either ranked or receiving votes in national top-25 polls every week for the past 16 years. A&M is currently ranked 22nd in the NSCAA/adidas and 25th in the Soccer America top 25, and is 21st in the Soccer Times polls. The team is also ranked No. 11 among TopDrawerSoccer.com's list of 64 tournament teams.
NATIONAL OFFENSE
Through last weekend's game, the Aggies have the No. 2 scoring offense in the nation, leading all-but-one NCAA team with 3.37 goals per game. Monogue is ranked 11th in points per game (2.11), 12th in goals per game (0.842), eighth in total goals (16) and ninth in total points (40). Mathias is 28th in assists per game (0.47), and 23rd in total assists with nine.
AGGIE RPI
In the most recent RPI rankings (through games of Oct. 26) the Aggies sit at No. 17, led by only Oklahoma State (No. 9) and Baylor (No. 13) in the Big 12. A&M has consistently been in the top 25 in RPI rankings since reporting began this season.
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.
ALL-BIG 12
The Aggies had six players with 10 awards in five different categories on the All-Big 12 awards list. The list was highlighted by Monogue, who was named the Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, and was selected to the All-Big 12 first team and the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team. Mathias, West and sophomore Rachel Lenz also received first-team honors, while freshman Meghan Streight was named to the All-Big 12 second team. Streight and freshman Annie Kunz join Monogue on the All-Newcomer roster.
FRESH TALENT
The Aggies' 10 freshmen have made a big impact on the 2011 squad. Monogue and Kunz top the team offensively, while both goalkeepers, Renée McDermott and Day, are freshmen. Bailey and Bianca Brinson contribute regularly as forwards and Streight, Perry and Edwards round out the midfield. Each freshman has seen action already this season, while all-but 20 (69 percent) of A&M's 64 goals were netted by members of the Class of 2015.
TDS FRESHMAN TOP 100 LIST
Seven A&M freshmen were honored on the TopDrawerSoccer.com Freshman Top 100 List, including Monogue, who led the nation at No. 1. Kunz reached No. 7 in the rankings, followed by Streight at No. 33, No. 43 Day, No. 52 Bailey, No. 64 Shea Groom and No. 71 Perry.
CONFERENCE LEADERS
The Aggies lead the Big 12 in overall statistics in several categories as a team, including shots (415), points (204), goals (64), goals per game (3.37), assists (76) and assists per game (4.00). Mathias leads the league in all games in shots (77) and shots per game (4.05), and ranks second in assists (9) and assists per game (0.47). Monogue tops the competition in points (40), points per game (2.11), goals (16) and goals per game (0.84). Kunz is second in all games in points (28) and goals (11), and West ranks third in assists per game (0.47) and ties for third in total assists with Monogue, recording eight each.
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.
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.
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.