COLLEGE STATION, Texas - On Friday, No. 3 Texas A&M travels to Tallahassee for a Top Five matchup against the No. 5 Florida State Seminoles. The contest features two of the College Cup participants from 2014. The Seminoles, who claimed the 2014 national title, were the No. 1 ranked team in the nation before dropping a 3-2 decision at Florida on Sunday.
The Aggies are off to a 4-0-0 start for the second consecutive season and the sixth time in program history. In what has become a trademark of A&M teams, the Aggies are getting scoring from a wide array of players with seven players already notching goals on the season, including four players with multiple goals. The Maroon and White logged three shutouts in the first four contests for the first time since 2007.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Friday's match may be the best Division I match of the year not viewable to fans across the country. The match may be heard on the RadioAggieland app and 12thMan.com.
5-0-0 STARTS
The Aggies are looking for their fourth 5-0-0 start in school history. Texas A&M hasn't accomplished the feat since 1999 when they started 6-0-0. The Maroon and White's best starts came in 1996 and 1997 when they began each campaign with a 9-0-0 record.
PERFECT STARTS THROUGH FIVE MATCHES
1996 9-0-0
1997 9-0-0
1999 6-0-0
SUCCESSFUL SENIORS
Janae Cousineau, Kristi Leonard and Karlie Mueller represent one of the winningest active senior classes in the nation. The trio have enjoyed a record of 63-13-5 over their four years, the third-best win total in the nation. Florida State's seniors are 70-8-4, followed by Virginia 68-9-3. The Aggies' win total is tied with UCLA at 63-6-7.
LAST TIME OUT - FLORIDA ATLANTIC
The Aggies got goals in the 68th and 70th minute and Taylor Saucier's first career shutout to post a 2-0 win over Florida Atlantic last Sunday. Emily Bates got the Aggies on the scoreboard connecting on a volley at the top of the penalty box with her right foot, putting the shot home inside the right post. Mikaela Harvey scored less than two minutes later, scoring in her third consecutive match. She sent a missile in from 22 yards out to the left of the penalty arc, hitting the underside of the crossbar and ricocheting to the back netting. Saucier made four saves on the day to give A&M its third consecutive shutout.
SERIES VS. FLORIDA STATE
The Aggies and Seminoles have met on four occasions with Florida State owning a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series. The teams first met in 1999 with the Aggies registering a 2-1 win in College Station. The following season the teams met in Tallahassee with the Seminoles winning 4-1. The next two meetings came in NCAA Championship Sweet Sixteen action with Florida State as the host. In 2009, the Seminoles logged a 2-1 overtime win and posted a 4-0 victory in 2012.
SCOUTING FLORIDA STATE
Florida State is the defending national champion. The Seminoles went 24-1-1 last year and posted a 1-0 win over Virginia in the College Cup title game. Cheyna Williams is the leading scorer among returnees with 34 points on 14 goals and six assists. Carson Pickett has 17 points on two goals and a team-high 13 assists. Cassie Miller returns in goal after she played every minute in goal for the Seminoles in 2014. She registered a 0.34 goals-against average and 19 shutouts in Florida State's College Cup run.
Kirsten Crowley leads the Seminoles with five points on two goals and one assist. Natalia Kuikka and Berglind Thorvaldsdottir each have two goals. Miller has played 332 of 360 minutes in goal. She owns a 1.08 goals-against average and one shutout.
GUERRIERI NEARING 400-WIN PLATEAU
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 398-121-29 (.752), he ranks fifth in victories and 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 (783), Connecticut's Len Tsantiris (528), Florida's Becky Burleigh (439), Santa Clara's Jerry Smith (426) and Randy Waldrum (400), who left Notre Dame in 2014 to become head coach of the Houston Dash of the NWSL.
RETURNING OFFENSE
The Aggies return just seven of 71 goals (9.9 percent) from last season. Janae Cousineau accounts for six of the returning goals and Haley Pounds notched one goal in 2014. Texas A&M returns 14 of 60 assists from last season. Karlie Mueller had the highest total among the returnees with five. Cousineau, Pounds, McKayla Paulson and Mikaela Harvey each notched two assists in 2014.
Cousineau's 14 points last season is the most among the returnees.
Texas A&M's 11 returnees combined for just seven goals and 14 assists (28 points) during the 2014 campaign. Through four games, the same 11 returnees have notched eight goals and seven assists (25 points).
MAKING ELLIS FIELD A FORTRESS
Texas A&M owns a 209-30-6 (.865) 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 109-14-6 (.868) mark on the friendly pitch. Texas A&M is 216-30-6 (.869) all-time in College Station, going 7-0-0 in their one season at Old Tiger Field.
SHUTOUTS
The Maroon and White have logged three shutouts in the first four games of a season for the first time since the 2007 campaign when the Aggies blanked Dartmouth, College of Charleston and Duke.
After getting outscored 2-1 in the first half of the season opener, the Aggies have outscored opponents 12-0 in the last seven halves.
NOTABLE DEBUT FOR HAJDU
Kate Hajdu became just the fourth Aggie freshman to register two goals in a season opener and the first since Allie Bailey tallied two goals in the season debut against Fresno State (W, 4-2). Others to accomplish the feat included Jessica Hamilton in 2000 (5-0 win vs Central Florida) and Michelle Remington in 1998 (5-1 win vs North Texas).
Aggie Freshmen with Two Goals in a Season Opener
1998 – Michelle Remington (5-1 win vs North Texas)
2000 – Jessica Hamilton (5-0 win vs Central Florida)
2011 – Allie Bailey (4-2 win vs Fresno State)
2015 – Kate Hajdu (4-2 win at Rice)
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
The Aggies welcomed nine freshmen to the squad this season and they've made the immediate impact that was necessary for a strong start to the season. Emily Bates and Kate Hajdu have both started all four matches. Ally Watt has three starts and Brittany Crabtree has received the starting assignment on one occasion. Mia Hummel, Amethyst Kelly, Claudette Lassandro and Kendall Ritchie have all seen relief action. The only freshman to not see action this season is Margaret Schmidt.
Hajdu was named the SEC Freshman of the Week the opening weekend. She leads the freshmen with seven points on three goals and one assist. Bates has five points on one goal and three assists. Lassandro added a goal in A&M's 4-0 win against UC Irvine.
SENSATIONAL SOPHOMORES
After getting a year of seasoning under the auspices of last year's nine-player senior class, Texas A&M's four sophomores came out like gang busters in the first four games of the season. The quartet accounted for seven goals and five assists for 19 points through the first two weekends. Haley Pounds has produced with two goals and four assists. She was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week the opening week when she logged one goal and four assists. McKayla Paulson notched the first two goals of her career, both in the win at Rice, and added an assist against UC Irvine. After going without a goal in her first 22 career matches, Mikaela Harvey has scored a goal in each of her last three contests. The four sophomores all played at least 300 of the 360 minutes on the season with Paulson playing every second of the matches.
POUNDS SETS THE TABLE IN AGGIE OPENER
In the Aggies season opener at Rice, Haley Pounds became the 11th Texas A&M player to record three assists in a game. The feat has been accomplished on 12 occasions with Yvette Okler hitting the mark on two occasions. Kat Krambeer owns the Texas A&M record with four assists against UTSA in 2006. Karlie Mueller was the most recent Aggie to notch three assists, accomplishing the feat in A&M's 8-0 win against Mississippi State in 2013.
FILLING THE HOLE IN GOAL
With the exit of Jordan Day and Renee McDermott, the Aggies lost all but 31 of their goalkeeper minutes from the last four seasons. Day and McDermott played every minute of 2012 and 2013. In 2011, Megan Majewski played 17 minutes in goal. Last season, Taylor Saucier played 14 minutes in Texas A&M's NCAA Championship first round win against Houston Baptist, for the only action in her career entering the 2015 campaign.
On the season, the Aggie goalkeepers have combined to register a 0.50 goals-against average and three shutouts. Saucier has started all four contests, logging 285 minutes. She owns a 0.63 goals-against average, seven saves and one shutout. Mia Hummel has seen action in two matches, playing 75 minutes off the bench. She has yet to yield a goal making four saves. The pair combined to record shutouts against Northwestern State and UC Irvine.
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UP NEXT
The Aggies hit the road next Thursday as they head to Gainesville to open up SEC play against the Florida Gators in a 6 pm match.
The Aggies are off to a 4-0-0 start for the second consecutive season and the sixth time in program history. In what has become a trademark of A&M teams, the Aggies are getting scoring from a wide array of players with seven players already notching goals on the season, including four players with multiple goals. The Maroon and White logged three shutouts in the first four contests for the first time since 2007.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Friday's match may be the best Division I match of the year not viewable to fans across the country. The match may be heard on the RadioAggieland app and 12thMan.com.
5-0-0 STARTS
The Aggies are looking for their fourth 5-0-0 start in school history. Texas A&M hasn't accomplished the feat since 1999 when they started 6-0-0. The Maroon and White's best starts came in 1996 and 1997 when they began each campaign with a 9-0-0 record.
PERFECT STARTS THROUGH FIVE MATCHES
1996 9-0-0
1997 9-0-0
1999 6-0-0
SUCCESSFUL SENIORS
Janae Cousineau, Kristi Leonard and Karlie Mueller represent one of the winningest active senior classes in the nation. The trio have enjoyed a record of 63-13-5 over their four years, the third-best win total in the nation. Florida State's seniors are 70-8-4, followed by Virginia 68-9-3. The Aggies' win total is tied with UCLA at 63-6-7.
LAST TIME OUT - FLORIDA ATLANTIC
The Aggies got goals in the 68th and 70th minute and Taylor Saucier's first career shutout to post a 2-0 win over Florida Atlantic last Sunday. Emily Bates got the Aggies on the scoreboard connecting on a volley at the top of the penalty box with her right foot, putting the shot home inside the right post. Mikaela Harvey scored less than two minutes later, scoring in her third consecutive match. She sent a missile in from 22 yards out to the left of the penalty arc, hitting the underside of the crossbar and ricocheting to the back netting. Saucier made four saves on the day to give A&M its third consecutive shutout.
SERIES VS. FLORIDA STATE
The Aggies and Seminoles have met on four occasions with Florida State owning a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series. The teams first met in 1999 with the Aggies registering a 2-1 win in College Station. The following season the teams met in Tallahassee with the Seminoles winning 4-1. The next two meetings came in NCAA Championship Sweet Sixteen action with Florida State as the host. In 2009, the Seminoles logged a 2-1 overtime win and posted a 4-0 victory in 2012.
SCOUTING FLORIDA STATE
Florida State is the defending national champion. The Seminoles went 24-1-1 last year and posted a 1-0 win over Virginia in the College Cup title game. Cheyna Williams is the leading scorer among returnees with 34 points on 14 goals and six assists. Carson Pickett has 17 points on two goals and a team-high 13 assists. Cassie Miller returns in goal after she played every minute in goal for the Seminoles in 2014. She registered a 0.34 goals-against average and 19 shutouts in Florida State's College Cup run.
Kirsten Crowley leads the Seminoles with five points on two goals and one assist. Natalia Kuikka and Berglind Thorvaldsdottir each have two goals. Miller has played 332 of 360 minutes in goal. She owns a 1.08 goals-against average and one shutout.
GUERRIERI NEARING 400-WIN PLATEAU
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 398-121-29 (.752), he ranks fifth in victories and 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 (783), Connecticut's Len Tsantiris (528), Florida's Becky Burleigh (439), Santa Clara's Jerry Smith (426) and Randy Waldrum (400), who left Notre Dame in 2014 to become head coach of the Houston Dash of the NWSL.
RETURNING OFFENSE
The Aggies return just seven of 71 goals (9.9 percent) from last season. Janae Cousineau accounts for six of the returning goals and Haley Pounds notched one goal in 2014. Texas A&M returns 14 of 60 assists from last season. Karlie Mueller had the highest total among the returnees with five. Cousineau, Pounds, McKayla Paulson and Mikaela Harvey each notched two assists in 2014.
Cousineau's 14 points last season is the most among the returnees.
Texas A&M's 11 returnees combined for just seven goals and 14 assists (28 points) during the 2014 campaign. Through four games, the same 11 returnees have notched eight goals and seven assists (25 points).
MAKING ELLIS FIELD A FORTRESS
Texas A&M owns a 209-30-6 (.865) 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 109-14-6 (.868) mark on the friendly pitch. Texas A&M is 216-30-6 (.869) all-time in College Station, going 7-0-0 in their one season at Old Tiger Field.
SHUTOUTS
The Maroon and White have logged three shutouts in the first four games of a season for the first time since the 2007 campaign when the Aggies blanked Dartmouth, College of Charleston and Duke.
After getting outscored 2-1 in the first half of the season opener, the Aggies have outscored opponents 12-0 in the last seven halves.
NOTABLE DEBUT FOR HAJDU
Kate Hajdu became just the fourth Aggie freshman to register two goals in a season opener and the first since Allie Bailey tallied two goals in the season debut against Fresno State (W, 4-2). Others to accomplish the feat included Jessica Hamilton in 2000 (5-0 win vs Central Florida) and Michelle Remington in 1998 (5-1 win vs North Texas).
Aggie Freshmen with Two Goals in a Season Opener
1998 – Michelle Remington (5-1 win vs North Texas)
2000 – Jessica Hamilton (5-0 win vs Central Florida)
2011 – Allie Bailey (4-2 win vs Fresno State)
2015 – Kate Hajdu (4-2 win at Rice)
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
The Aggies welcomed nine freshmen to the squad this season and they've made the immediate impact that was necessary for a strong start to the season. Emily Bates and Kate Hajdu have both started all four matches. Ally Watt has three starts and Brittany Crabtree has received the starting assignment on one occasion. Mia Hummel, Amethyst Kelly, Claudette Lassandro and Kendall Ritchie have all seen relief action. The only freshman to not see action this season is Margaret Schmidt.
Hajdu was named the SEC Freshman of the Week the opening weekend. She leads the freshmen with seven points on three goals and one assist. Bates has five points on one goal and three assists. Lassandro added a goal in A&M's 4-0 win against UC Irvine.
SENSATIONAL SOPHOMORES
After getting a year of seasoning under the auspices of last year's nine-player senior class, Texas A&M's four sophomores came out like gang busters in the first four games of the season. The quartet accounted for seven goals and five assists for 19 points through the first two weekends. Haley Pounds has produced with two goals and four assists. She was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week the opening week when she logged one goal and four assists. McKayla Paulson notched the first two goals of her career, both in the win at Rice, and added an assist against UC Irvine. After going without a goal in her first 22 career matches, Mikaela Harvey has scored a goal in each of her last three contests. The four sophomores all played at least 300 of the 360 minutes on the season with Paulson playing every second of the matches.
POUNDS SETS THE TABLE IN AGGIE OPENER
In the Aggies season opener at Rice, Haley Pounds became the 11th Texas A&M player to record three assists in a game. The feat has been accomplished on 12 occasions with Yvette Okler hitting the mark on two occasions. Kat Krambeer owns the Texas A&M record with four assists against UTSA in 2006. Karlie Mueller was the most recent Aggie to notch three assists, accomplishing the feat in A&M's 8-0 win against Mississippi State in 2013.
FILLING THE HOLE IN GOAL
With the exit of Jordan Day and Renee McDermott, the Aggies lost all but 31 of their goalkeeper minutes from the last four seasons. Day and McDermott played every minute of 2012 and 2013. In 2011, Megan Majewski played 17 minutes in goal. Last season, Taylor Saucier played 14 minutes in Texas A&M's NCAA Championship first round win against Houston Baptist, for the only action in her career entering the 2015 campaign.
On the season, the Aggie goalkeepers have combined to register a 0.50 goals-against average and three shutouts. Saucier has started all four contests, logging 285 minutes. She owns a 0.63 goals-against average, seven saves and one shutout. Mia Hummel has seen action in two matches, playing 75 minutes off the bench. She has yet to yield a goal making four saves. The pair combined to record shutouts against Northwestern State and UC Irvine.
FOLLOW @AGGIESOCCER ON TWITTER
Not following @AggieSoccer on Twitter? Sign up or sign in now to find out what's happening. You'll stay up-to-date on the latest news and receive live in-game updates at each and every match.
UP NEXT
The Aggies hit the road next Thursday as they head to Gainesville to open up SEC play against the Florida Gators in a 6 pm match.