COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The No. 5 Texas A&M Aggies look to advance to the Sweet 16 for the 13th time in program history, and the third consecutive season as they host the Arizona Wildcats at Ellis Field on Friday evening.
The tilt is a rematch of a game played on September 5 in Tempe, Arizona. The squads played to a 2-2 tie with Bianca Brinson grabbing the contest from the jaws of defeat on a goal with 33 seconds remaining in the second half.
The Aggies are looking to extend numerous substantial streaks, including a five-match win streak, a four-match shutout streak, a six-match NCAA Championship home win streak and an 11-match undefeated (10-0-1) streak.
The Aggies sported impressive numbers on the season to earn their first-ever No. 1 seed. Prior to the start of the NCAA Championship, 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.
Arizona earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship, the Wildcats' third appearance in the tournament and the first since they advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2006. Arizona advanced to the second round with a 1-0 win over the Oklahoma State Cowgirls last Friday in Stillwater. The Wildcats have racked up travel miles recently, playing seven of their last nine matches on the road.
A&M STUDENT TICKET SPECIAL
Due to the kindness of the Aggie Soccer Club, Texas A&M students who present their ID at the student entrance will receive free admission to Friday evening's contest.
TICKETS
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. Check 12thMan.com for all-session pricing. 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.
PARKING
Due to a premier event being held at Reed Arena on Friday, there will be a $5 parking fee for attendees who do not possess a TAMU parking permit.
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 WTAW 1620 AM in College Station.
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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 259. The Aggies trail only North Carolina (310), Notre Dame (294), UCLA (289), Penn State (274) and Stanford (260). Florida State also has 259 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 28-19-4 (.588) 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 11 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) over that stretch.
Sweet 16 - 1995, '99, 2000, '01, '02 '03, '05, '06, '08, '09, '12, ' 13
Elite Eight - 2001, '02, '06, '08
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP ACTION AT ELLIS FIELD
The Aggies have been a tough opponent to handle in NCAA Championship action at Ellis Field. A&M owns a 21-4-1 (.827) and the Maroon and White have advanced to the next round on 22 of 26 opportunities when playing on the friendly confines. The Aggies lost two of the first three NCAA Championship games at Ellis Field, against San Diego (5-3) in 1997 and SMU (1-0) in 1998. Since 1999, A&M has gone 20-2-1 (.891) and the Maroon and White have won their last six NCAA Championship matches at Ellis Field and 12 of their last 13. The last NCAA Championship loss for the Aggies at Ellis Field came against Texas (3-2) in 2007.
ADVANCING TO GOOD COMPANY
Texas A&M has advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship in each of their last 17 appearances. It marks the fourth-longest active streak behind only North Carolina (33), Virginia (21) and UCLA (18). The Maroon and White have gone 15-0-2 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.
Three current Aggies took part in last year's shootout against Texas Tech with Allie Bailey making the opening kick, followed by successful attempts by Meghan Streight and Kristi Leonard as A&M advanced 5-3.
In the 2011 Big 12 Quarterfinal against Kansas, Bailey, Annie Kunz and Streight started the Aggies' out with three straight makes en route to prevailing 5-3.
LAST TIME OUT - HOUSTON BAPTIST
The Aggies struck early and often in a 5-0 win over the Houston Baptist Huskies in an NCAA Championship first match at Ellis Field. Kelley Monogue scored in the fourth minute and added a goal in the 11th minute as the Maroon and White coasted to the victory. The seniors accounted for all 14 points for the Aggies, including five goals and four assists. The Aggies outshot the Huskies 34-3, including a 19-1 edge in shots-on-goal. Three netminders combined on the shutout with Jordan Day playing the entire first half, Renee McDermott playing the first 30 minutes of the second half and Taylor Saucier making her first career appearance with the final 15 minutes of the match.
DO-OVERS
Friday's match marks the fourth time in the last five contests that the Aggies will be facing a squad they played earlier in the season. All three of A&M's games in the SEC Tournament were against squads they faced during the regular-season. A&M combined to beat Georgia, South Carolina and Kentucky by a combined 5-0 margin to win the SEC Tournament title after going 2-0-1 against the squads in the regular-season. The Aggies only outscored the three teams 6-4 in the regular-season, including a 2-2 tie against South Carolina. A&M and Arizona played to a 2-2 in a neutral site game played in Tempe (110 miles from Tucson) on September 5.
RECORD SETTING 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 72-18-7 over the last four years, equaling the school record of 72 set by the 2002 seniors.
Texas A&M's nine seniors account for 573 of the possible 1,067 starts over their career, a rate of 53.7 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 168 of 253 (.664) starts this season.
The corps of seven field players has served to deliver a bulk of the payload the last four seasons, accounting for 187 of the 244 goals (.766). This season, the seniors have scored 52 of the 59 goals (.881). 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 122 of the Aggies' 236 assists (.517), with the most impactful year coming this season with 38 of 52 assists (.731). The point tally for their career stands at 496 of A&M's 724 (.685).
Day and McDermott have combined for all but 32 minutes in goal the four years, accounting for all 97 starts.
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).
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 391-120-29 (.751), 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 (778), Connecticut's Len Tsantiris (525), Florida's Becky Burleigh (434), 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.
MONOGUE CLIMBING THE CAREER POINTS LIST
Kelley Monogue currently ranks fifth on the Aggies' career points list with 120. 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.
GROOM CLIMBING THE CAREER POINTS LIST
Shea Groom currently ranks seventh on the Aggies' career points list with 103. In A&M's 1-0 against Kentucky, Groom became the ninth player in school history to reach the 100-point plateau. She needs one more point to tie Kristen Strutz (104 - 2000-03) for sixth place on the list.
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 48 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 tallied a goal in the NCAA Championship first round match to move into sixth place on A&M's career goals list with 40. Annie Kunz enters the match with 38 career goals, which ranks eighth on A&M's career list. She trails Melissa Garey (39 - 2004-07) by just one goal for seventh place. 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. 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.
SERIES VS. ARIZONA
The lone meeting in the series was a 2-2 draw earlier this season. Gabi Stoian drew first blood in the 38th minute, but Bianca Brinson knotted the game up with 2:08 remaining in the first half. Hayley Estopare put Arizona back in the lead on a free kick in the 84th minute. With 33 seconds remaining in the match, Brinson scored her second goal of the match to tie the contest and send it to overtime. The Aggies got six shots off in the OT periods, but Arizona netminder Gabby Kaufman made four saves. For the contest, A&M owned a 24-16 edge in shots, including 13-7 in shots on goal, but Kaufman put forth a heroic effort with 11 saves.
SCOUTING ARIZONA
Arizona earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship, posting a 10-7-2 overall record in the regular-season, including 4-6-1 in the Pac 12. The Wildcats got off to a great start to the season, going 9-2-1 in the first 12 matches, but they've stumbled down the stretch going 2-5-1 in the last eight matches, getting outscored 17-7. Since October 10, the Wildcats have played seven of nine matches on the road, including matches at Washington State, Washington, UCLA, Utah, Colorado, Arizona State and Oklahoma State.
Gabi Stoian accounts for 37.5 percent of Arizona's offense with 13 goals and seven assists. Alexandra Doller is the only other Wildcat with double digits in the points column on seven goals and two assists.
Gabby Kaufman has played all but 91 seconds in 2014. She has seven shutouts and a 1.27 goals-against average.
The Wildcats played in the NCAA Tournament on two prior occasions, losing in the first round in 2004 and advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2005.
SAME, BUT DIFFERENT
Texas A&M and Arizona played to a 2-2 draw on September 5. Friday's match is being played 77 days later under weather conditions that figure to be at least 30 degrees cooler than the mid-90s temperatures of the first battle. The contest will be played in College Station, rather than Tempe (110 miles from Tucson), 1,100 miles to the West.
A&M also figures to have the services of two-time All-SEC netminder Jordan Day who missed the first contest as a part of a 12-game span in which she was out of action due to injury. Since her return, the Aggies have gone 9-0-1 in games she has appeared in, including 6-0-0 in games she has started. On the year, Day owns a 0.38 goals-against average and posted three consecutive shutouts at the SEC Tournament.
In the prior match, Karlie Mueller (22 minutes) and Annie Kunz (46 minutes) saw limited action recovering from injury/illness.
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 19-2-2 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
142 of the Aggies' 170 points and 52 of the 59 goals this season have been scored by seniors. Shea Groom (15), Kelley Monogue (13), Bianca Brinson (9), Allie Bailey (6), Annie Kunz (6), Meghan Streight (2) and Leigh Edwards (1) account for the 52 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' 59 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 25 active players with 90 or more career points. Kelley Monogue ranks sixth among all active players with 120 points. Shea Groom ranks 16th with 103 points. Annie Kunz reports in at 21st with 93 points. The only other squads with multiple players on the list is Virginia (Morgan Brian - 115; Makenzy Doniak - 112) and Hofstra (Sam Scolarici - 108; Leah Galton - 92).
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 NCAA Championship second round match tied for third among all active players with 97 matches. Kelley Monogue is in sixth place with 96 matches under her belt and Leigh Edwards ranks seventh with 95 matches. Annie Kunz and Bianca Brinson are tied for 10th place with 93 matches. Meghan Streight's 97starts leads all active players.
Active Leaders, Matches Played
1. Kristin Grubka, Florida State - 99
2. Jamia Fields, Florida State - 98
3. Allie Bailey, Texas A&M - 97
Meghan Streight, Texas A&M - 97
Whitney Church, Penn State - 97
6. Kelley Monogue, Texas A&M - 96
7. Leigh Edwards, Texas A&M - 95
Danielle Colaprico, Virginia - 95
Emily Hurd, Penn State - 95
10. Bianca Brinson, Texas A&M - 93
Annie Kunz, Texas A&M - 93
Despite missing 12 games and 18 starts due to injury this season, Jordan Day ranks eighth among all active goalkeepers in minutes played with 6,977.
RPI NOTES
The Aggies entered the NCAA Championship with a No. 3 ranking in the RPI released by the NCAA on November 9. Prior to the NCAA Championship, twenty of A&M's 22 opponents were in the top 100, including 13 in the Top 50. The Aggies were 16-2-2 against RPI Top 100 squads and 9-2-2 against RPI Top 50. Texas A&M led the country with 16 wins against RPI Top 100 squads and A&M was 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 second round ranked eighth among all active players in goals scored with 48. Illinois State's Rachel Tejada leads the nation with 74, followed by Winthrop's Krystyna Freda with 63 and LaSalle's Kelsey Haycook with 60. Seattle's Stephanie Verdoia ranks fourth with 51 goals followed by Hofstra's Sam Scolarici and Furman's Stephanie DeVita with 50. Stephen F. Austin's Chelsea Raymond is seventh with 49. Scolarici, DeVita and Raymond's seasons have ended.
ONE-TWO PUNCH
The Aggies boast one of the most prominent one-two scoring punches in the nation this season. Kelley Monogue has 36 points on the season, followed by Shea Groom with 35 points. Monogue's point tally ranks second in the SEC and 22nd in the nation while Groom ranks third in the SEC and 26th in the nation. A&M is one of two teams in the nation with two players tallying at least 35 points, joined by East Tennessee State.
Monogue has 13 goals and 10 assists on the year. The 10 assists rank second in the SEC and 27th in the nation and the 13 goals rank third in the SEC and 35th in the nation. Groom has 15 goals on the season, ranked second in the SEC and 22nd in the nation.
OFFENSE EVERYWHERE
In what could be described as the most dizzying offensive attack in the nation, Texas A&M ranks fifth in the nation in goals (59), but the Aggies are the only team in the nation to boast six different players with at least six goals on the season. Shea Groom leads the attack, ranking second in the SEC and 22nd in the nation with 15 goals. Kelley Monogue checks in at No. 35 nationally with 13 goals. Bianca Brinson has a career-high nine goals on the season, including three in the last four matches. Annie Kunz, Allie Bailey and Janae Cousineau each have six goals on the season.
40-20 CLUB
There are nine active NCAA Division I players with 40 or more goals and 20 or more assists for their career and Texas A&M boasts two of them. Kelley Monogue has 48 goals and 24 assists and Shea Groom has 40 goals and 23 assists. The Aggies are the only squad with multiple players on the list.
DAY CLIMBING CAREER WINS LIST
Jordan Day enters the weekend with a career record of 56-16-6 (.756). 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 203-30-6 (.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 103-14-6 (.862) mark on the friendly pitch. Texas A&M is 210-30-6 (.866) 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.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP SCORING
A&M's Active Leading Scorers in NCAA Championship play
Annie Kunz - 10 points (4 goals, 2 assists)
Kelley Monogue - 8 points (4 goals)
Shea Groom - 8 points (2 goals, 4 assists)
Allie Bailey - 4 points (2 goals)
Meghan Streight - 4 points (2 goals)
Bianca Brinson - 4 points (1 goal, 2 assists)
Janae Cousineau - 1 point (1 assist)
AGGIES RIDING 11-MATCH UNBEATEN STRING
Texas A&M enters Friday night's match on an 11-match unbeaten string, going 10-0-1 during the stretch. The Aggies were exactly one minute from an 11-match win streak as the Maroon and White allowed the game-tying goal to South Carolina with 1:00 showing on the clock in the second half.
Following a 1-0 loss to Florida on October 3, the Aggies rattled off five consecutive wins. The Maroon and White and South Carolina played to a 2-2 draw on October 26, before A&M strung together their current five-game win streak that includes three matches at the SEC Tournament and the NCAA Championship first round win.
During the 11-match stretch, A&M has outscored opponents 30-8. The span has seen a balanced scoring attack with five players averaging at least 1.00 points per game during the stretch. Bianca Brinon leads the way with 17 points on six goals and five assists. Annie Kunz and Kelley Monogue each have 15 points on five goals and five assists. Janae Cousineau, who has missed the last two matches, has 13 points on six goals and one assist. Shea Groom has logged 11 points on four goals and three assists.
AGGIES RIDING FOUR-MATCH SHUTOUT STREAK
Entering Friday's action, the Aggies own a four-match shutout streak, including all three games at the SEC Tournament and last Friday's 5-0 win over Houston Baptist in the first round of the NCAA Championship. Texas A&M has not given up a goal in the last 382:25 of action.
Jordan Day logged complete-game shutouts in the Aggies three SEC Tournament wins. The tally raised Day's career total to 32, which ranks third among active players and tied the A&M school record. In 2012, Day set the A&M single-season shutout mark with 14 and she tied the SEC school record with seven consecutive shutouts.
PLAYING THE FIELD
Texas A&M played a bold schedule in 2014 and as a result they faced 12 of the 64 teams in the NCAA Championship field for a total of 15 matches, going 11-2-2. The challenging slate had A&M playing eventual NCAA Championship participants in six of their eight non-conference matches.
UP NEXT
The winner advances to face either Notre Dame or Texas on November 23 in an NCAA Division I Championship third round match at Ellis Field.