COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M Aggies play a pair of games this weekend with a chance to secure a share of the SEC regular-season title for the second consecutive season. The Aggies travel to play Arkansas on Friday and host South Carolina on Sunday and can guarantee a piece of the title with a pair of wins.
The Maroon and White enter the weekend with 21 points on a 7-1-0 record in SEC play. The tally is three points ahead of second-place Florida (18 - 6-2-0). The field of league contenders has been whittled down to eight with three matches remaining. Others in the immediate hunt include Georgia in third place with 16 points and Missouri and Kentucky tied in fourth place with 15 points.
Texas A&M has things rolling since their lone league loss, winning four straight matches by a combined margin of 14-4 since suffering a 1-0 loss to then-No. 6 Florida. Janae Cousineau has a goal in each of the last four matches. Bianca Brinson has a team-high nine points during the span on three goals and three assists.
WINNING
The Aggies are guaranteed they will finish the season with a winning record. A&M has finished with a winning record in all of its previous 21 seasons. The closest the Aggies have finished to the .500 mark is the 14-8 (.636) record they posted in 1998.
CONFERENCE WINNING
The Aggies are guaranteed they will finish the conference slate with a winning record. A&M has finished with a winning record in league play in all 18 of the previous years it was aligned with a conference. The closest the Aggies have finished to the .500 mark in league play is the 5-3-2 (.600) record they posted in Big 12 play in 2003. In 18 previous seasons of league action, A&M has finished first or second in the conference standings on 16 occasions with the other finishes coming in 1998 (3rd Big 12 - 7-2) and 2003 (5th Big 12 - 5-3-2).
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Live stats for this weekend's matches will be on ArkansasRazorbacks.com on Friday and 12thMan.com on Sunday. Friday's match will not have video streaming, but Sunday will have video streaming available to SEC Network subscribers via SEC Network Plus as part of the WatchESPN app and ESPN3.com. Both matches will be aired on RadioAggieland and 12thMan.com.
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WHERE ARE THE AGGIES RANKED?
In week nine, A&M is ranked No. 6 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/Continental Tire poll, up two spots from a week ago. The Aggies are No. 8 in the Soccer America Top 25, No. 6 in the TopDrawerSoccer.com Top 25 and No. 7 in the BennettRank poll.
LAST TIME OUT - MISSISSIPPI STATE
The Aggies struck in the third minute on a goal by Bianca Brinson and added two more goals in the first half as they coasted to a 3-0 win over the Bulldogs. Kelley Monogue and Janae Cousineau were the other goal scorers as A&M took advantage of another loss by Florida to claim sole possession of first place in the league standings. Renee McDermott and Jordan Day each played a half in goal to record the Aggies' fifth shutout of the season.
AGGIES NOTCH THEIR 200th WIN AT ELLIS FIELD
With their 2-1 win over Kentucky, the Aggies notched their 200th win at Ellis Field. Texas A&M owns a 201-30-5 (.862) all-time record at Ellis Field (formerly Aggie Soccer Stadium). The Maroon and White have called the field home since the 1994 season, playing the inaugural 1993 season at Old Tiger Field. Since 2005, the Aggies have registered a 101-14-5 (.863) mark on the friendly pitch. Texas A&M is 208-30-5 (.866) all-time in College Station, going 7-0-0 in their one season at Old Tiger Field.
TICKET INFORMATION
Season and individual tickets for the 2014 home season are now for sale. 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.
AGGIES LOOK TO EXTEND 15-WIN SEASON STRETCH TO 11 YEARS
With their 18-5-2 mark last season, the Aggies posted their 10th consecutive 15-win season dating back to 2004. In their first 21 seasons, the only two years the Aggies have not reached the 15-win plateau are 1998 (14-8) and 2003 (13-6-3). The school record for victories stands at 20, set in 2002 with a 20-5-1 mark.
MONOGUE CLIMBING THE CAREER POINTS LIST
Kelley Monogue currently ranks sixth on the Aggies' career points list with 111. Against LSU, Monogue scored a goal to pass Kristen Strutz (104 - 2000-03) for fifth place on the list. She has a bit of work to do to catch Nicky Thrasher (140 - 1997-2001) for fourth place on the list. Ashlee Pistorius (2004-07) owns the school record with 194 points followed by Bryn Blalack (1994-197) with 192. During her healthiest campaign, Monogue logged 47 points as a freshman in 2011. Recovering from a knee injury in 2012, the McKinney, Texas native logged 20 points. Last season, she registered 17 points as she still felt the effects of the earlier ailment.
MONOGUE CLIMBING THE CAREER GOALS LIST
With her goal against Illinois State, Kelley Monogue became the fifth player in school history to log 40 career goals. She is now up to 45 goals at Texas A&M. The McKinney native trails only Ashlee Pistorius (81 - 2004-07), Bryn Blalack (79 - 1994-97), Nicky Thrasher (57 - 1997-2001) and Kristen Koop (55 - 1993-96). Monogue was A&M's leading goal scorer as a freshman with 19 tallies in 2011. She added 10 in 2012 and six in 2013.
GROOM AND KUNZ CLIMBING THE CAREER GOALS LIST
Shea Groom enters play with 37 career goals, tied with Heather Ragsdale for seventh place on A&M's all-time list. Annie Kunz enters play with 36 career goals for ninth place on the A&M all-time list. The next target on the list for the Kunz is Groom and Ragsdale in seventh place with 37 goals. Melissa Garey (2004-07) in sixth place with 39 goals is within striking distance for Groom. Kunz tallied 14 goals as a freshman and 13 as a sophomore. Hampered by an injury that held her out of four games and limited her to a reserve role most of the 2013 campaign, Kunz managed just five goals in 2013. Groom was limited by injury in her freshman campaign, with six goals in just 10 matches and added five as a sophomore, but she's come on strong the last two seasons with 14 goals in 2013 and eight this year.
SERIES VS. ARKANSAS
The Aggies are 4-1-0 all-time against the Razorbacks. A&M's first-ever soccer match was against Arkansas, a 2-1 overtime loss in Plano, Texas on September 6, 1993. The Maroon and White won matches in Dallas in 1994 (3-1) and in Plano in 1995 (8-3).
In 2012, the Aggies posted a 3-1 win in Fayetteville with Kelley Monogue logging two goals to give A&M a 2-0 lead. After Arkansas' Allie Chandler trimmed the lead to 2-1, Meghan Streight put the game away with a goal in the 77th minute. Last year in College Station, Arkansas gave A&M a scare but the Aggies prevailed 4-3. After Liz Keester scored in the third minute, Arkansas scored on three corner kicks to take a 3-1 lead 24 minutes into the contest. Rachel Lenz and Janae Cousineau tied the game to push it to overtime and Keester added a goal in the sixth minute of overtime to seal the deal.
SCOUTING ARKANSAS
Arkansas enters Friday's match with a 7-4-5 overall mark and a 3-2-3 mark in SEC play. The Razorbacks started the season by going 6-2-4. including 4-2-2 in eight non-conference matches. Arkansas has played a lot of free soccer, going to overtime on eight occasions and double overtime seven times.
Arkansas posted non-conference wins against Utah State (3-1), Oklahoma State (2-1), Stephen F. Austin (4-2) and Missouri State (6-1) with losses to Duke (3-0) and North Carolina (2-1) and scoreless draws against Texas and Rice. In SEC play, the Razorbacks have wins against Kentucky (2-1 - 2ot), Vanderbilt (1-0) and Tennessee (1-0 - ot), losses to Florida (3-1) and Auburn (2-1 - 2ot) and draws with Ole Miss (1-1 - 2ot), LSU (3-3 - 2ot) and Alabama (0-0 - 2ot).
Ashleigh Ellenwood and Claire Kelley lead the Razorbacks arsenal. Ellenwood has 18 points on five goals and eight assists. Kelley has notched 17 points on five goals and seven assists. Alexandra Fischer (4 g, 3 a, 11 pts) and Tyler Allen (3 g, 5 a, 11 pts) are also in double-digits in the points column. Cameron Carter has played all 1,578 minutes in goal for the Razorbacks, posting a 1.14 goals-against average and five shutouts.
The Razorbacks made their first-ever NCAA Championship appearance last season, winning matches against Oklahoma State (2-1) and St. John's (1-0) before being eliminated by Duke on penalty kicks (5-3) after playing to a 2-2 draw through two overtimes. Arkansas claimed the SEC West Division title in 1996. The Razorbacks were runner-ups at the SEC Tournament in 1993 and 1996, losing both matches 3-2 in double overtime.
SERIES VS. SOUTH CAROLINA
The Aggies are 4-0-0 all-time against South Carolina, including 3-0-0 since joining the SEC in 2012. Two of the meetings have happened at the SEC Tournament in Orange Beach, Alabama.
The first-ever meeting came in September of 2003 when the Aggies posted a 2-1 overtime win against the Gamecocks.
A&M won the first-ever meeting as SEC brethren in 2012, 2-0, in College Station. Meghan Streight and Annie Kunz tallied goals and Jordan Day made one save in the shutout. The teams met in the first round of the SEC Tournament in 2012, with A&M scoring a 1-0 overtime win. Allie Bailey notched a golden goal in the 94th minute and Day made two saves in the shutout. Last season the teams faced off in the seminfinal of the tournament with A&M prevailing 2-1. Liz Keester scored a pair of goals in the first 12 minutes to get out to a 2-0 lead. Raina Johnson scored for South Carolina in the 25th minute, but were unable to log an equalizer.
SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA
South Carolina enters Friday's match with a 11-4-1 overall mark and sit in seventh place in the SEC with a 4-3-1 mark. The Gamecocks started the season by going 8-1-0, including a 7-1-0 mark in non-conference action. After a win against Auburn (2-1, ot) to start the league slate, South Carolina stumbled to go 1-3-1 in its next three matches. The Gamecocks rebounded with wins in their last two matches against Florida (3-2) and Ole Miss (2-0).
The Gamecocks non-conference wins came against East Carolina (2-0), Samford (2-0), Boston (1-0 - 2ot), Milwaukee (2-0), High Point (2-0), South Florida (3-0) and Florida Gulf Coast (2-0) and the loss came against Clemson (1-0). In addition to Auburn, Florida and Ole Miss, the Gamecocks notched a win against LSU (1-0). The three league losses all came by 1-0 margins - against Missouri, Georgia and Kentucky.
Savannah McCaskill, Sophie Groff and Chelsea Drennan account for a majority of the Gamecocks' offense. McCaskill and Groff both have 11 points with four goals and three assists. Drennan has 10 points on three goals and four assists. South Carolina has 2013 SEC Defensive Player of the Year Sabrina D'Angelo between the pipes. D'Angelo owns a 0.50 goals-against average and eight shutouts on the season.
South Carolina has seven NCAA Championship appearances, including six of the last seven seasons. The Gamecocks claimed the SEC regular-season title in 2011 and captured an SEC Tournament crown in 2009.
GUERRIERI RANKS AMONG THE NATION'S WINNINGEST COACHES
Texas A&M head coach G Guerrieri ranks among the leaders in winning percentage and victories among active Division I coaches. With a career record of 385-120-28 (.749), he ranks fifth in victories and fifth in winning percentage (minimum five years as a Division I head coach). Guerrieri ranks sixth all-time among NCAA Division I coaches in victories, trailing North Carolina's Anson Dorrance (775), Connecticut's Len Tsantiris (521), Florida's Becky Burleigh (430), Santa Clara's Jerry Smith (420) and Randy Waldrum (400), who left Notre Dame in the off-season to become head coach of the Houston Dash of the NWSL.
NIP-AND-TUCK
Over the last two years the Aggies have fared well in tightly contest matches, going 15-4-3 in matches decided by one goal or less. This season, A&M has posted one-goal wins over Dayton (4-3), Stephen F. Austin (1-0), Florida Gulf Coast (2-1), Ole Miss (2-1) and Kentucky (2-1), but played Arizona to a 2-2 draw and suffered a 2-1 defeat at Arizona State and 1-0 loss to Florida.
In 2013, Texas A&M played 14 matches decided by one goal or less, posting a 10-2-2 record in those contests. Nine of the Aggies' last 10 wins were decided by one goal, including three victories at the SEC Tournament and their NCAA Championship first round win against Utah. A&M's only blemishes in close matches were 1-0 losses against Duke and Tennessee and a 0-0 draw against Baylor. The Aggies also played to a 2-2 draw against Texas Tech in the NCAA Championship second round, but advanced to the third round on penalty kicks.
CHALLENGING NON-CONFERENCE SLATE
The non-conference slate was one of the toughest on record for the Aggies. All eight opponents finished in the Top 100 in the final RPI last season, with Arizona being the lowest rated team at 83. Marquette (6), UCF (13), Stephen F Austin (51), Arizona State (60), Illinois State (66), Florida Gulf Coast (67), Dayton (70) and Arizona finished last season with an average RPI of 52 compared to last year's eight non-conference opponents owning an average RPI of 101.
FACING CHAMPIONS
Texas A&M's non-conference schedule was challenging with six of the eight opponents having won their league's regular-season title in 2013. The Aggies went 6-0 against the champions, outscoring the crop, 17-5. The defending league champions on the non-conference slate included Dayton (Atlantic 10), Stephen F. Austin (Southland), UCF (The American), Illinois State (Missouri Valley), FGCU (Atlantic Sun) and Marquette (Big East). All six teams were selected to repeat as 2014 champions in their league's respective preseason coaches' polls. The two non-conference opponents who did not win conference titles last year are Arizona and Arizona State, who both finished in the middle of the powerhouse Pac 12 Conference that produced national champion UCLA.
THREE THIRTY-GOAL SCORERS
For the first time since the end of the 1996 campaign, the Aggies are fielding three players with 30 or more career goals. Kelley Monogue leads the triumvirate with 45 goals. Shea Groom recently went over the 30-goal mark and has scored seven goals in the last four matches to increase her career tally to 37. Annie Kunz has 36 goals to round out the trio, scoring her first goal of the season in A&M's 4-1 win over LSU and adding two against Vanderbilt.
HIGH-SCORING TRIO
The Aggies roster boasts three of the 27 active players with 82 or more career points. Kelley Monogue ranks sixth among all active players with 110 points. Shea Groom ranks 15th with 95 points. Annie Kunz reports in at 27th with 83 points. The only other squad with multiple players on the list is Virginia with Morgan Brian in seventh with 104 points and Makenzy Doniak in ninth with 102 points.
THE NCAA'S MOST EXPERIENCED SQUAD
The Aggies boast one of the most experienced squad in the nation for 2014. Currently, Texas A&M has six of the top 14 active players in terms of matches played. Allie Bailey and Meghan Streight enter the weekend tied for fourth among all active players with 90 matches. Kelley Monogue is in seventh place with 89 matches under her belt. Leigh Edwards is tied with Florida's Annie Speese for ninth place with 88 matches. Annie Kunz and Bianca Brinson are tied for 11th place with 86 matches.
Active Leaders, Matches Played
1. Kristin Grubka, Florida State - 93
Jamia Fields, Florida State - 93
3. Whitney Church, Penn State - 92
4. Allie Bailey, Texas A&M - 90
Meghan Streight, Texas A&M - 90
Emily Hurd, Penn State - 90
7. Kelley Monogue, Texas A&M - 89
Danielle Colaprico, Virginia - 89
9. Leigh Edwards, Texas A&M - 88
Annie Speese, Florida - 88
11. Bianca Brinson, Texas A&M - 86
Annie Kunz, Texas A&M - 86
Jen Martin, UCF - 86
Kori Chapic, Penn State - 86
MONOGUE AMONG TOP ACTIVE PLAYERS IN GOALS SCORED
Kelley Monogue enters the week ranked sixth among all active players in goals scored with 45. Illinois State's Rachel Tejada leads the nation with 66, followed by Winthrop's Krystyna Freda with 61 and LaSalle's Kelsey Haycook with 53. SFA's Chelsea Raymond (48) and Hofstra's Sam Scolarici (47) are also ahead of Monogue.
Active Leaders, Goals Scored
1. Rachel Tejada, Illinois State - 66
2. Krystyna Freda, Winthrop - 61
3. Kelsey Haycook, LaSalle - 53
4. Chelsea Raymond, Stephen F. Austin - 48
5. Sam Scolarici, Hofstra - 47
6. Kelley Monogue, Texas A&M - 45
ATTRACTING A CROWD
The Aggies' drew a historic crowd for their 3-0 win over #18 UCF on August 29. The crowd of 5,634 was the ninth-largest for an NCAA women's soccer regular-season match. Four of the top nine and seven of the top 18 regular-season crowds have occurred at Ellis Field.
Largest Crowds - non-NCAA Tournament matches
1. USC vs UCLA, Los Angeles (10/22/10) - 8,527
2. North Carolina at Texas A&M (8/25/06) - 8,204
3. USC vs UCLA, Los Angeles (10/25/08) - 7,804
4. Rhode Island at Texas A&M (8/22/08) - 6,712
5. North Carolina at Navy (9/26/03) - 6,527
6. Syracuse at Connecticut (9/26/99) - 6,070*
7. Notre Dame at North Carolina (9/13/98) - 6,024
8. North Carolina at Texas A&M (8/29/08) - 5,642
9. UCF at Texas A&M (8/29/14) - 5,634
10. North Carolina at Portland (10/10/92) - 5,596
* - part of doubleheader with men's squad
AGED ARSENAL
103 of the Aggies' 124 points and 38 of the 43 goals this season have been scored by seniors. Shea Groom (12), Kelley Monogue (10), Bianca Brinson (6), Allie Bailey (4), Annie Kunz (4), Leigh Edwards (1), and Meghan Streight (1) account for the 34 senior goals. Janae Cousineau (4) and Haley Pounds (1) have accounted for the three goals not scored by seniors.
SET PIECE SUCCESS
Fifteen of the Aggies' 43 goals this season have come on set pieces, including seven corner kicks, six free kicks, one throw-in and one penalty kick. A&M scored on a corner kick in each of the first four matches of the season. In their SEC opener, Shea Groom scored off a free kick and a throw-in en route to her second career hat trick.
ONE-TWO PUNCH
The Aggies boast one of the most prominent one-two scoring punches in the nation this season. Shea Groom (12) and Kelley Monogue (10) rank first and third, respectively, in the SEC in goals scored and they're tied for 14th and 37th, respectively, nationally.
Groom (27 - 12 goals and 3 assists) and Monogue (27 - 10 goals and 7 assists) lead the SEC in points and they're tied for 21st nationally. A&M is the only SEC squad with two or more 20-point scorers this season and one of just two teams in the nation (East Tennessee State boasts three players with 25 or more points).
MULTIPLE GOAL GAMES
The Aggies have had players record multiple goals in a game six times this season, including Shea Groom's hat trick against Tennessee on September 18. Groom also added two goals in a 4-1 win over LSU. Kelley Monogue also has two multiple goal efforts, with two goals each against Dayton and UCF. Bianca Brinson tallied two goals in a 2-2 tie against Arizona and Annie Kunz logged two goals in a 6-2 win at Vanderbilt.
8/22 Kelley Monogue (2) - DAYTON (W, 4-3)
8/29 Kelley Monogue (2) - UCF (W, 3-0)
9/5 Bianca Brinson (2) - vs. Arizona (T, 2-2)
9/18 Shea Groom (3) - TENNESSEE (W, 3-0)
9/26 Shea Groom (2) - at LSU (W, 4-1)
10/10 Annie Kunz (2) - at Vanderbilt (W, 6-2)
LONE STAR DOMINANCE
Since the 2008 season, the Aggies own a 20-0-5 mark against in-state rivals, including an 11-0-4 record against their former Big 12 Conference colleagues. Last season, A&M went 1-0-2 against Lone Star foe, topping UTSA, 1-0, in the second game of the season, tying Baylor, 0-0, in the sixth game, and tying Texas Tech, 2-2, in the NCAA Second Round, eventually advancing on penalty kicks. This year, the Aggies dropped Stephen F. Austin, 1-0, on August 24.
30-20 CLUB
There are 12 active NCAA Division I players with 30 or more goals and 20 or more assists and Texas A&M boasts two of them. Kelley Monogue has 44 goals and 21 assists and Shea Groom has 37 goals and 20 assists. Virginia is the only other team with multiple players in the 30-20 club (Morgan Brian 35 g, 34 a; Makenzy Doniak 39 g, 22 a).
SHE'LL SHOOT YOUR EYE OUT
Bianca “B.B.” Brinson has a pair of last minute goals this season that have altered the results of Aggie games. In A&M's 2-2 tie against Arizona, Brinson scored her second goal of the match with 33 seconds remaining as the Maroon and White staved off defeat. In the Aggies' home match against Kentucky, Brinson tallied a goal with 52 second remaining to send A&M to a 2-1 victory.
RPI NOTES
The Aggies enter the weekend with a No. 5 ranking in the RPI released by the NCAA on October 20. Fifteen of A&M's 16 opponents are in the top 120, including 13 in the Top 100 and seven in the Top 50. The Aggies are 10-2-1 against RPI Top 100 squads and 4-2-1 against RPI Top 50. Texas A&M, Penn State, UCLA and Florida State are the only four teams with 10 wins against RPI Top 100 squads.
The remainder of the Aggies' schedule offers challenges with all opponents ranked in the RPI Top 40. A&M is closing out the regular-season against Arkansas (35), South Carolina (10) and Georgia (28).
UP NEXT
The Aggies wrap up the regular-season on Thursday when they host the Georgia Bulldogs in a 7 pm contest at Ellis Field.
A&M Embarks on Weekend with SEC Title within their Grasp
The Aggies play a pair of games this weekend with a chance to secure a share of the SEC regular-season title. The Aggies travel to play Arkansas on Friday and host South Carolina on Sunday and can guarantee a piece of the title with a pair of wins.