COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The No. 5 Texas A&M Aggies begin play of the 2014 NCAA Division I Championship on Friday when they host the Houston Baptist Huskies in a 7 pm contest at Ellis Field.
The contest is just one of the two 32 first-round matchups featuring a pair of teams that are undefeated in their last 10 games with the other being Florida State-South Alabama. The Aggies are 9-0-1 in their last 10 games while the Huskies are 8-0-2.
The Aggies sported impressive numbers on the season to earn their first-ever No. 1 seed. A&M led the nation with 16 wins over RPI Top 100 opponents while no other squad posted more than 13. The Maroon and White were also just one of four teams with nine or more wins over RPI Top 50 opponents.
Texas A&M is the first team since Florida in 2001 to claim the SEC Double in back-to-back seasons with regular-season and tournament crowns the last two seasons.
Houston Baptist earned a bid with an historic run at the Southland Conference Tournament. The Huskies toppled Southeastern Louisiana, 2-1, in double overtime in the first round, ousted No. 2-seed Sam Houston State on penalty kicks after playing to a 1-1 draw and upset No. 1-seed Stephen F. Austin, 2-0, in the championship match.
A&M STUDENT TICKET SPECIAL
Due to the kindness of the Aggie Soccer Club, Texas A&M Students can receive free admission by showing their TAMU ID at the student entrance of Ellis Field, beginning at 6:00 pm.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.AggieAthletics.com, in person at the Zone at Kyle Field box office, or over the phone at 1-888-99-AGGIE. Tickets purchased on-line or over the phone will be delivered via Flash Seats. The card used for purchase of tickets will be swiped at the gate for admission. Fans may purchase reserved tickets for $18 (West Midfield), $15 (West Sideline) or $9 (West Goal Line), or can buy general admission tickets for $7 (Adult) or $3 (Youth or Student). Children two-and-under will be admitted free.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Friday's match will have video streaming available to SEC Network subscribers via SEC Network Plus on the WatchESPN app and ESPN3.com. Live stats for the match will be on NCAA.com. The match airs on KACB - 96.9 FM - Aggie Catholic Broadcasting.
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AGGIES AMONG WINNINGEST SQUADS IN 21ST CENTURY
Texas A&M ranks sixth among all NCAA Division I teams in victories between 2000-14 with 258. The Aggies trail only North Carolina (309), Notre Dame (293), UCLA (288), Penn State (273) and Stanford (259). Florida State also has 258 wins since 2000.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Aggies are playing in their 20th consecutive NCAA Championship, one of five teams to play in each of the last 19 tournaments. The other schools to make it to every tournament since 1995 are North Carolina (1982-2014), Notre Dame (1993-2014), Virginia (1994-2014) and Penn State (1995-2014).
A&M is 27-19-4 (.580) all-time in the NCAA Championship. The Aggies have appeared in the Sweet 16 on 12 occasions and advanced to the Elite Eight four times.
Since 1999, Texas A&M has made 12 Sweet Sixteen appearances which is tied with Stanford for fifth in the nation for highest total during that span. The Aggies trail only North Carolina (16), UCLA (15), Virginia (14), and Florida State (13).
Sweet 16 - 1995, '99, 2000, '01, '02 '03, '05, '06, '08, '09, '12, ' 13
Elite Eight - 2001, '02, '06, '08
ADVANCING
Texas A&M has advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship in each of their last 16 appearances. It marks the fourth-longest active streak behind only North Carolina (32), Virginia (20) and UCLA (17). The Maroon and White have gone 14-0-2 during the span, advancing on PKs in 2003 (vs. SMU) and 2010 (vs. North Dakota State)
PENALTY KICK HISTORY
With their penalty kick shootout against Texas Tech in last season's NCAA Championship second round, the Aggies came out on the top end of their ninth consecutive shootout. Six of the nine advances have come in NCAA Tournament play, including the 2002 NCAA Sweet 16 in which A&M scored a decision against UCLA despite not recording a shot in the 110 minutes of game action. Rachel Lenz made a penalty kick in each of the last four shootouts, including the 2010 Big 12 Quarterfinal against Colorado, NCAA First Round against North Dakota State, 2011 Big 12 Quarterfinal against Kansas and Friday's NCAA Second Round against Texas Tech.
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 have finished with a winning record in league play in all 19 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 19 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).
LAST TIME OUT - KENTUCKY
The Aggies earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Championship with a 1-0 win over the Wildcats in the SEC Tournament championship match. Shea Groom scored on a corner kick from Haley Pounds in the 30th minute and A&M held off a Kentucky arsenal for the final 60 minutes. Jordan Day was spectacular in the shutout, making six saves and snuffing out many more scoring opportunities with her skill on corner kicks, crosses and free kicks. It marked the third consecutive shutout for the Aggies who outscored opponents, 5-0, in the SEC Tournament.
TOURNAMENT INTENSITY
With the exception of Wednesday's 3-0 shutout against Georgia, all of Texas A&M's SEC Tournament wins have been by one goal and the Aggies' highest goal output has been two goals on two separate occasions - the 2013 semifinal against South Carolina (2-1) and the 2013 championship match against Florida (2-1). The Aggies have four 1-0 wins to their credit in SEC Tournament play. Texas A&M won the 2013 SEC Tournament with just five goals on the back of three one-goal decisions and in 2014 they capped off the run with 1-0 wins in the semifinal and final.
SENSATIONAL SENIORS
The Aggies sport one of the most impactful senior classes to ever grace a collegiate soccer field with Allie Bailey, Bianca Brinson, Jordan Day, Leigh Edwards, Shea Groom, Annie Kunz, Renee McDermott, Kelley Monogue and Meghan Streight. The seniors are 71-18-7 over the last four years and the win total is one shy of the school record of 72 set by the 2002 seniors.
Texas A&M's nine seniors account for 565 of the possible 1,056 starts over their career, a rate of 53.5 percent. The tally includes 90 of 264 starts (.341) in their freshman campaign of 2011, 138 of 275 starts (.502) in 2012, 177 of 275 starts (.643) in 2013 and 160 of 242 (.661) starts this season.
The corps of seven field players has served to deliver a bulk of the payload the last four seasons, accounting for 182 of the 239 goals (.762). This season, the seniors have scored 47 of the 54 goals (.870). As freshmen they scored 52 of A&M's 76 goals (.684) and accounted for 37 of 48 (.771) in 2012 and 41 of 56 (.732) in 2013. The class has registered 118 of the Aggies' 232 assists (.509), with the most impactful year coming this season with 34 of 48 assists (.708). The point tally for their career stands at 482 of the Maroon and White's 710 (.679).
Day and McDermott have combined to play all but 17 minutes in goal the last four seasons, accounting for all 96 starts.
MONOGUE CLIMBING THE CAREER POINTS LIST
Kelley Monogue currently ranks fifth on the Aggies' career points list with 116. 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 46 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 the NCAA Championship with 39 goals for her career, tied with Melissa Garey (2004-07) for sixth place on A&M's all-time list. Annie Kunz enters the match with 38 career goals, which ranks eighth on A&M's career list. 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.
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 390-120-29 (.750), he ranks fifth in victories and sixth 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 (777), Connecticut's Len Tsantiris (524), Florida's Becky Burleigh (433), Santa Clara's Jerry Smith (424) and Randy Waldrum (400), who left Notre Dame in the off-season to become head coach of the Houston Dash of the NWSL.
SERIES VS. HOUSTON BAPTIST
The Aggies won the only match against Houston Baptist, 6-2, in 2008. Alyssa Mautz lit up the Huskies with a hat trick and two assists. Whitney Hooper added two goals and two assists in the victory.
SCOUTING HOUSTON BAPTIST
The Huskies earned the automatic bid with a Southland Conference Tournament title. Houston Baptist beat Southeastern Louisiana, 2-1, in double overtime to open the tournament, ousted No. 2 seed Sam Houston State on penalty kicks after playing to a 1-1 draw and upset No. 1 Stephen F Austin, 2-0, in the title match.
HBU had a tough start to the season, going 2-6-3 in the first half of the year. The Huskies have rebounded to go 8-0-2 the last 10 matches, outscoring opponents 19-5 during the span, including five shutouts.
Natalie Hager is the leading scorer with 17 points on eight points and one assist. Ellee Hall has 14 points on five goals and four assists. Patty Walrath has seen most of action in goal, logging 1,791 of 2,036 minutes in goal, posting a 0.85 goals-against average and six shutouts.
The Huskies are making their first-ever NCAA Championship appearance.
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.
AGGIES EXTEND 15-WIN SEASON STRETCH TO 11 YEARS
With their win in the regular-season finale against Georgia, the Aggies posted their 11th consecutive 15-win season dating back to 2004. In their first 22 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.
NEARING A PROGRAM RECORD WIN TOTAL
With their 18-2-2 record, the Aggies are nearing a program record for wins. The Aggies finished 20-5-1 in 2002, a season in which they advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight. In 2002, teams were credited with wins if they prevailed in a penalty kick shootout situation. A&M won two penalty kick shootouts during the 2002 NCAA Championship.
AGED ARSENAL
128 of the Aggies' 156 points and 47 of the 54 goals this season have been scored by seniors. Shea Groom (14), Kelley Monogue (11), Bianca Brinson (8), Annie Kunz (6), Allie Bailey (5), Meghan Streight (2) and Leigh Edwards (1) account for the 47 senior goals. Janae Cousineau (6) and Haley Pounds (1) have accounted for the seven goals not scored by seniors.
NIP-AND-TUCK
Over the last two years the Aggies have fared well in tightly contest matches, going 19-4-4 in matches decided by one goal or less. This year, in regular-season action, 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), Kentucky (2-1), Arkansas (2-1) and Georgia (2-1), but played Arizona (2-2) and South Carolina (2-2) to draws and suffered a 2-1 defeat at Arizona State and 1-0 loss to Florida. The Maroon and White won their SEC Tournament semifinal match, 1-0, against South Carolina and their title match, 1-0, against Kentucky.
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.
SET PIECE SUCCESS
21 of the Aggies' 54 goals this season have come on set pieces, including 10 corner kicks, eight free kicks, two throw-ins and one penalty kick. The Maroon and White scored their lone goals in both 1-0 wins of the SEC Semifinal and Final on corner kicks. 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.
HIGH-SCORING TRIO
The Aggies' roster boasts three of the 23 active players with 90 or more career points. Kelley Monogue ranks seventh among all active players with 116 points. Shea Groom ranks 17th with 100 points. Annie Kunz reports in at 21st with 91 points. The only other squad with multiple players on the list is Virginia with Makenzy Doniak and Morgan Brian tied for 11th place with 108 points apiece.
MAKING ELLIS FIELD A FORTRESS
On October 3, the Aggies had their 15-match home win streak snapped with a loss to Florida. The streak ranks fifth in A&M history for home win streaks and fourth among win streaks at Ellis Field. The team record stands at 24 in a span that crept into three campaigns, starting on October 26, 2001 and finishing on October 17, 2003.
A&M Home Win Streaks
1. 10/26/2001 to 10/17/2003 - 24
2. 9/26/2006 to 11/15/2007 - 20
3. 9/18/1995 to 11/3/1996 - 17
4. 10/2/1993 to 9/3/1995* - 16
5. 9/13/2013 to 9/18/2014 - 15
* - first seven matches played at Old Tiger Stadium
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. She also scored the game-winning goal in A&M's 1-0 win over No. 17 South Carolina in the SEC Tournament semifinal match with 3:20 left in the second half.
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 11 active players in terms of matches played. Allie Bailey and Meghan Streight enter the SEC Tournament championship match tied for third among all active players with 96 matches. Kelley Monogue is in sixth place with 95 matches under her belt and Leigh Edwards ranks seventh with 94 matches. Annie Kunz and Bianca Brinson are tied for 10th place with 92 matches. Meghan Streight's 95 starts leads all active players.
Active Leaders - Matches Played
1. Kristin Grubka, Florida State - 98
2. Jamia Fields, Florida State - 97
3. Allie Bailey, Texas A&M - 96
Meghan Streight, Texas A&M - 96
Whitney Church, Penn State - 96
6. Kelley Monogue, Texas A&M - 95
7. Leigh Edwards, Texas A&M - 94
Danielle Colaprico, Virginia - 94
Emily Hurd, Penn State - 94
10. Bianca Brinson, Texas A&M - 92
Annie Kunz, Texas A&M - 92
Despite missing 12 games and 18 starts, Jordan Day ranks ninth among all active goalkeepers in minutes played with 6,932.
RPI NOTES
The Aggies enter the NCAA Championship with a No. 3 ranking in the RPI released by the NCAA on November 9. Twenty of A&M's 22 opponents are in the top 100, including 13 in the Top 50. The Aggies are 16-2-2 against RPI Top 100 squads and 9-2-2 against RPI Top 50. Texas A&M leads the country with 16 wins against RPI Top 100 squads and A&M is one of just four teams with nine or more wins against the RPI Top 50 (Stanford 10, Texas A&M 9,UCLA 9, West Virginia).
Texas A&M (1), Penn State (1) and Oklahoma State (0) were the only three teams to play fewer than two teams ranked outside the RPI Top 150.
MONOGUE AMONG TOP ACTIVE PLAYERS IN GOALS SCORED
Kelley Monogue enters the NCAA Championship ranked ninth among all active players in goals scored with 46. Illinois State's Rachel Tejada leads the nation with 67, followed by Winthrop's Krystyna Freda with 63 and LaSalle's Kelsey Haycook with 60. Hofstra's Sam Scolarici, Furman's Stephanie DeVita and Seattle's Stephanie Verdoia are tied for fourth with 50. Stephen F. Austin's Chelsea Raymond is seventh with 49. Sophia Huerta ranks eighth with 47 goals, but her Santa Clara squad did not make the NCAA Championship.
ONE-TWO PUNCH
The Aggies boast one of the most prominent one-two scoring punches in the nation this season. Shea Groom and Kelley Monogue each have 32 points, ranked second in the SEC and 34th in the nation. A&M is one of four teams in the nation with two players tallying at least 30 points, joined by East Tennessee State, Seattle and South Alabama.
Groom has 14 goals on the season, ranked second in the SEC and 23rd in the nation. Monogue has 11 goals and 10 assists on the year. The 10 assists ranks second in the SEC and 26th in the nation.
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 15 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 46 goals and 24 assists and Shea Groom has 39 goals and 22 assists. Virginia is the only other team with multiple players in the 30-20 club (Morgan Brian 37 g, 34 a; Makenzy Doniak 44 g, 22 a).
Monogue is one of just eight active players with 40 or more goals and 20 or more assists.
DAY CLIMBING CAREER WINS LIST
Jordan Day enters the weekend with a career record of 55-16-6. She ranks third on the Aggies' career list for goalkeeper victories, trailing only Kati Jo Spisak, who owns the school record with her 69-21-6 mark from 2002-05, and Melanie Wilson who logged 66 wins from 1996-99.
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 202-30-6 (.861) 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 102-14-6 (.861) mark on the friendly pitch. Texas A&M is 209-30-6 (.865) all-time in College Station, going 7-0-0 in their one season at Old Tiger Field.
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT SUCCESS
The Aggies have a tradition of success at conference tournaments with an overall mark of 30-11-4 in league tournaments, winning seven conference tournament crowns, including back-to-back SEC titles.
A&M posted a 23-10-4 record at the Big 12 Championship and won the title in five of the tournament's first 16 years. The Aggies won titles in 1997, 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2011.
UP NEXT
The winner advances to face either Arizona or Oklahoma State on November 18. If A&M wins, the Maroon and White will host the second-round affair.