Sunday, November 8
Orange Beach, Ala.
1:00 PM
Texas A&M
vs
Florida
Match Day Preview: SEC Tournament Championship
Nov 07, 2015 | Soccer
ORANGE BEACH, Alabama – The Texas A&M Aggies play for their third consecutive SEC Tournament crown as they battle the No. 5 Florida Gators at 1 pm Central on Sunday. The Maroon and White enter the championship match with an eight-game tournament win streak and a conference record stretch of five consecutive tournament shutouts.
With a victory, Texas A&M would join Florida as the only teams to win three consecutive SEC Tournament crowns. The Gators won six in a row from 1996-2001. A win would also make Texas A&M the third team to win three or more SEC Tournament titles overall, trailing just Florida (10) and Tennessee (four).
The Aggies are looking for their eighth conference tournament title. In addition to winning SEC Tournament crowns the last two seasons, A&M won Big 12 Championship crowns in 1997, 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2011.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
The match is being televised on ESPNU. The match will be available digitally on mobile devices, tablets, PCs and connect-TVs for ESPNU subscribers whose cable/satellite packages allow access to ESPNU content through the WatchESPN app and SECSports.com. The match can be heard on the RadioAggieland app, RadioAggieland.com and 12thMan.com. The match may be heard on Fusion FM - HD2 on HD radio at 95.1-2 FM locally
TEXAS A&M EXTENDS LENGTHIEST ACTIVE 15-WIN SEASON STREAK
With the win against LSU in the SEC Tournament semifinal, the Aggies reached the 15-win mark for the 12th consecutive season. Texas A&M entered the 2015 campaign with 11 consecutive 15-win seasons, the longest active stretch in Division I. The only other team to enter the season with a double-digit stretch entering the year was Florida State with 10 consecutive 15-win seasons. Stanford (9) and Florida (8) were the only other schools with more than five consecutive 15-win campaigns. 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 22, set last season with a 22-3-2 mark.
CONSECUTIVE 15-WIN SEASONS ENTERING 2015
*Texas A&M 11
Florida State 10
*Stanford 9
*Florida 8
* - have reached 15-win mark in 2015
SEC TOURNAMENT SCORELESS STRING
The Aggies enter Sunday's contest with a 512-minute, 12-second scoreless string in SEC Tournament action. Texas A&M did not yield a goal during last season's SEC Tournament, outscoring foes 5-0. Jordan Day made 11 saves during the three shutouts, including six in the 1-0 championship win against Kentucky. The last goal the Aggies yield in SEC Tournament play came in the 28th minute of the 2013 championship match against Florida which A&M won 2-1.
Texas A&M's string of five consecutive shutouts at the SEC Tournament is a league record, besting the mark set by Tennessee at the 1998 tournament and matched by Florida at the 2005 tournament.
LAST TIME OUT - LSU
The Aggies defense stymied the LSU attack and Emily Bates scored in the 74th minute Texas A&M notched a 1-0 win to advance to their third consecutive SEC Tournament title match. The Maroon and White defense held the Tigers to two shots-on-goal for the contest and limited LSU's offensive dynamo Jorian Baucom to one shot for the contest and her offering did not threaten the goal. The Aggies, who outshot LSU 23-9 for the match, final broke the scoring seal when Mikaela Harvey threaded a pass through the defense to Bates who launched a one-touch left-footer from 15 yards for her seventh goal of the season.
SERIES VS. FLORIDA
The Aggies lead the all-time series, 6-5, and the Maroon and White is the only SEC team with a winning record against the Gators. The 11 matches are the most for the Aggies against the old guard of the SEC, trailing only the 23 contests the Maroon and White played against former Big 12 foe Missouri.
This season, Texas A&M won the regular-season meeting on September 10, 2-1. Emily Bates put a header in from 10 yards out in the seventh minute and Stephanie Malherbe scored her first career goal in the 52nd minute to give the Aggies a 2-0 lead. Savannah Jordan pulled one back in the 77th minute, but the Aggie defense thwarted the Gators attack for the final 13:13 to nailed down the victory. Florida won the first three regular-season matches between the teams since A&M joined the SEC in 2012. Texas A&M won the lone SEC Tournament meeting between the two, scoring a 2-1 win in the 2013 championship match.
SCOUTING FLORIDA
The Gators enter Sunday's championship contest on a hot streak, winning their last eight games. During the run, Florida has pulled out 2-1 victories, including the quarterfinal triumph against Vanderbilt. Florida is 16-3-1 on the year and won the SEC regular-season crown with an 8-2-1 record in league play.
Gators picked up SEC Offensive Player of the Year and SEC Defensive Player of the Year recognition with Savannah Jordan and Christen Westphal earning the respective honors. Jordan has 47 points on the year with 21 goals and five assists. Westphal has 16 points on two goals and 12 assists and she has helped the Gators record five shutouts. Brook Sharp has also contributed mightily with 24 points on 10 goals and four assists. Two goalkeepers have seen a bevy of action for Florida. Kaylan Marckese has 1,130 minutes in the woodwork, logging a 0.72 goals-against average, 41 saves and four shutouts. Valerie Tysinger has played 725 minutes, registering a 1.62 goals-against average, 17 shutouts and one save.
HUMMEL RACKING UP SHUTOUTS
Despite not starting three league contests, freshman Mia Hummel shared the SEC lead for most shutouts in conference action (four) with Ole Miss's Marnie Merritt. The rookie goalkeeper recorded league shutouts against Mississippi State, Alabama, Kentucky and Arkansas.
RICE'S SUCCESSFUL DEBUT
Danielle Rice has been outstanding in her first two outings. In the regular-season finale, she entered the contest in the 69th minute with the score tied 1-1 against Missouri and made four saves, including a PK stop in the second overtime period to stave off defeat. In her first career A&M start, Rice posted a shutout in the Aggies' SEC Tournament quarterfinal win against Ole Miss. She spent her first two seasons at Creighton where she started all 36 games during her career, logging eight shutouts.
EVERYBODY IS DOING IT
With Danielle Rice's two shutouts in the SEC Tournament, Texas A&M became the first SEC team to have five different goalkeepers record multiple shutouts over a two year span. In 2014, Renee McDermott logged four shutouts and Jordan Day notched three shutouts (all in the SEC Tournament). The Aggies had goalkeepers combine on two other shutouts during the year. This season, Mia Hummel leads the squad with four shutouts and Taylor Saucier and Rice have two apiece. The Aggies also have two combined shutouts in 2015.
Shutouts in 2014 and 2015
Player (Year) Shutouts
Renee McDermott (2014) 4
Mia Hummel (2015) 4
Jordan Day (2014) 3
Taylor Saucier (2014-15) 2
Danielle Rice (2015) 2
Combined shutouts 4
Total 19
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. A&M returns 14 of 60 assists from 2014. 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 21 games, the same 11 returnees have notched 26 goals and 22 assists (74 points).
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 leads the group with 16 starts followed by Kate Hajdu with 14 starts. Ally Watt has 12 starts followed by Brittany Crabtree with eight. Kendall Ritchie has three starts and Claudette Lassandro made her first career start in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal. Amethyst Kelly and Margaret Schmidt have all seen relief action. Mia Hummel has eight starts in goal for the Aggies.
Hajdu was named SEC Freshman of the Week the opening weekend, Bates earned the honor for the fourth week of action and Watt earned the award after A&M's 1-0 win at Kentucky. Bates ranks second on the team with 19 points on seven goals and five assists. Watt has six goals on the year, all in SEC play. Hajdu has three goals and three assists. Crabtree has two goals and one assist. Lassandro has one goal and Schmidt has one assist on the season.
MUELLER AMONG ACTIVE LEADERS IN GAMES PLAYED
After missing the match against Kentucky due to a vicious elbow to the head sustained against Auburn, Texas A&M senior Karlie Mueller fell to 11th in the nation and third among SEC players in career matches played with 88 caps. She trails on Florida's Christen Westphal (92) and Claire Falknor (89) among SEC players. Mueller has made 75 career starts and owns 20 career assists, including 10 as a sophomore in 2013. Her first career goal came in her 6,047th minute of play, scoring a golden goal in the 109th minute of a 2-1 victory against North Texas.
GUERRIERI REACHES 400-WIN MILESTONE
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 409-126-30 (.750), he ranks fifth in victories and sixth in winning percentage (minimum five years as a Division I head coach). Guerrieri ranks fifth all-time among NCAA Division I coaches in victories, trailing only North Carolina's Anson Dorrance (792), Connecticut's Len Tsantiris (543), Florida's Becky Burleigh (452) and Santa Clara's Jerry Smith (435).
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 this season. The quartet accounted for 17 goals and 11 assists for 45 points on the season. Haley Pounds has produced 26 points with 11 goals and four assists, including her first career hat trick against Abilene Christian. She was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week the opening week when she logged one goal and four assists. After going without a goal in her first 22 career matches, Mikaela Harvey has scored a goal in six of the last 20 contests and has added three assists. McKayla Paulson notched the first two goals of her career, both in the win at Rice, and added a goal against Mississippi State and assists against UC Irvine and North Texas. Stephanie Malherbe logged her first career goal in the 2-1 win against then No. 10 Florida and has added three assists.
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 0.93 goals-against average and 10 shutouts. Saucier has started 11 contests, logging 920 minutes. She owns a 1.08 goals-against average, 35 saves and two shutouts. Saucier's goals-against average when PKs are taken out of the equation, stands at 0.88. Mia Hummel has seen action in 11 matches, including eight starts. She has yielded nine goals, made 24 saves and owns shutouts against Mississippi State, Alabama, Kentucky and Arkansas. Hummel and Saucier combined to record shutouts against Northwestern State and UC Irvine. Danielle Rice saw her first action in the regular-season finale registering four saves in 41 blank minutes, including making a save on a penalty kick to stave off defeat. In the SEC Tournament quarterfinal, Rice recorded her first shutout at A&M with a 2-0 blanking against Ole Miss and she followed with a 1-0 shutout against LSU. Rice has not allowed a goal in 221 minutes of action.
PAULSON – THE AGGIES' IRON MAN
Prior to exiting the contest with an injury in the 15th minute of the SEC Tournament semifinal, McKayla Paulson was the only Aggie to play every second of the 2015 campaign. Paulson still leads the team with 1,853 minutes played on the season. Mikaela Harvey (1,813), Ashlynn Harryman (1,811), Haley Pounds (1,797), Stephanie Malherbe (1,715) and Karlie Mueller (1,695) are all averaging over 80 minutes per Texas A&M match.
WINNING
With their win against Alabama on October 9, the Aggies guaranteed themselves their 23rd consecutive winning season - the entirety of their life as a program. 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 20 years it has been aligned with a conference. This season is the lowest conference winning percentage for the Aggies at .591. Prior to this season, 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. This marks the first time since 2003 that the Aggies did not finish either first or second in the conference. In 20 seasons of league action, A&M has finished first or second in the conference standings on 17 occasions with the other non-top-two finishes coming in 1998 (3rd Big 12 - 7-2) and 2003 (5th Big 12 - 5-3-2).
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 74-18-6 over their four years, the third-best win total in the nation. Florida State's seniors are 79-9-7, followed by Virginia 79-9-4.
NIP-AND-TUCK
Over the last three seasons, the Aggies are 27-7-5 in games decided by one game or less. This season, the Maroon and White are 6-3-1 in games decided by one goal or less. Last season, Texas A&M went 11-2-2 in one-goal games, including a pair of 2-1 victories in their run to the College Cup. The Aggies went 10-2-2 in the nail-biters in 2012, including all three of their wins en route to winning their first-ever SEC Tournament title.
TOURNAMENT INTENSITY
Seven of Texas A&M's nine SEC Tournament wins to date have been by one goal and the Aggies' highest goal output has been three goals against Georgia in last year's quarterfinal. Texas A&M won the 2013 SEC Tournament with just five goals on the back of three one-goal decisions. Last year, the Aggies notched 1-0 wins in the semifinal bout against South Carolina and the championship match against Kentucky.
MULTIPLE GOAL GAMES
The Aggies have had players record multiple goals in a game four times this season, including Haley Pound's hat trick against Abilene Christian on September 6. Pounds also had a two-goal effort against Ole Miss. Kate Hajdu scored two goals in the season opener, becoming just the fourth Aggie freshman to score multiple goals in a debut. Freshmen Emily Bates and Ally Watt each logged two goals in the Aggies' 4-0 blanking of Alabama.
8/21 Kate Hajdu (2) - at Rice (W, 4-2)
9/6 Haley Pounds (3) - ABILENE CHRISTIAN (W, 4-1)
10/9 Emily Bates (2) - ALABAMA (W, 4-0)
10/9 Ally Watt (2) - ALABAMA (W, 4-0)
10/25 Haley Pounds (2) - OLE MISS (L, 3-4)
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT SUCCESS
The Aggies have a tradition of success at conference tournaments with an overall mark of 32-11-4 in league tournaments, winning seven conference tournament crowns, including SEC Tournament crowns the last two seasons.
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.
ALL-TIME SEC TOURNAMENT RESULTS
2012
W, 1-0 (ot) South Carolina 10/31
L, 0-2 Auburn 11/2
2013
W, 1-0 Auburn 11/6
W, 2-1 South Carolina (#9) 11/8
W, 2-1 Florida (#5) 11/10
2014
W, 3-0 Georgia 11/5
W, 1-0 South Carolina (#17) 11/7
W, 1-0 Kentucky (#20) 11/9
2015
W, 2-0 Ole Miss (#17) 11/4
W, 1-0 LSU 11/6
TEXAS A&M SEC TOURNAMENT RECORDS
INDIVIDUAL GOALS
Game
2, Liz Keester (vs South Carolina - W, 2-1 [semifinal]; November 8, 2013)
Tournament
3, Liz Keester (2013)
Career
3, Liz Keester (2013-current)
INDIVIDUAL ASSISTS
Game
1, 11 times
Tournament
2, Shea Groom (2013) & Kelley Monogue (2014)
Career
3, Shea Groom (2012-14) & Kelley Monogue (2012-14)
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UP NEXT
The Aggies will learn their NCAA Championship fate on Monday afternoon during the 3:30 pm selection show.
With a victory, Texas A&M would join Florida as the only teams to win three consecutive SEC Tournament crowns. The Gators won six in a row from 1996-2001. A win would also make Texas A&M the third team to win three or more SEC Tournament titles overall, trailing just Florida (10) and Tennessee (four).
The Aggies are looking for their eighth conference tournament title. In addition to winning SEC Tournament crowns the last two seasons, A&M won Big 12 Championship crowns in 1997, 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2011.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
The match is being televised on ESPNU. The match will be available digitally on mobile devices, tablets, PCs and connect-TVs for ESPNU subscribers whose cable/satellite packages allow access to ESPNU content through the WatchESPN app and SECSports.com. The match can be heard on the RadioAggieland app, RadioAggieland.com and 12thMan.com. The match may be heard on Fusion FM - HD2 on HD radio at 95.1-2 FM locally
TEXAS A&M EXTENDS LENGTHIEST ACTIVE 15-WIN SEASON STREAK
With the win against LSU in the SEC Tournament semifinal, the Aggies reached the 15-win mark for the 12th consecutive season. Texas A&M entered the 2015 campaign with 11 consecutive 15-win seasons, the longest active stretch in Division I. The only other team to enter the season with a double-digit stretch entering the year was Florida State with 10 consecutive 15-win seasons. Stanford (9) and Florida (8) were the only other schools with more than five consecutive 15-win campaigns. 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 22, set last season with a 22-3-2 mark.
CONSECUTIVE 15-WIN SEASONS ENTERING 2015
*Texas A&M 11
Florida State 10
*Stanford 9
*Florida 8
* - have reached 15-win mark in 2015
SEC TOURNAMENT SCORELESS STRING
The Aggies enter Sunday's contest with a 512-minute, 12-second scoreless string in SEC Tournament action. Texas A&M did not yield a goal during last season's SEC Tournament, outscoring foes 5-0. Jordan Day made 11 saves during the three shutouts, including six in the 1-0 championship win against Kentucky. The last goal the Aggies yield in SEC Tournament play came in the 28th minute of the 2013 championship match against Florida which A&M won 2-1.
Texas A&M's string of five consecutive shutouts at the SEC Tournament is a league record, besting the mark set by Tennessee at the 1998 tournament and matched by Florida at the 2005 tournament.
LAST TIME OUT - LSU
The Aggies defense stymied the LSU attack and Emily Bates scored in the 74th minute Texas A&M notched a 1-0 win to advance to their third consecutive SEC Tournament title match. The Maroon and White defense held the Tigers to two shots-on-goal for the contest and limited LSU's offensive dynamo Jorian Baucom to one shot for the contest and her offering did not threaten the goal. The Aggies, who outshot LSU 23-9 for the match, final broke the scoring seal when Mikaela Harvey threaded a pass through the defense to Bates who launched a one-touch left-footer from 15 yards for her seventh goal of the season.
SERIES VS. FLORIDA
The Aggies lead the all-time series, 6-5, and the Maroon and White is the only SEC team with a winning record against the Gators. The 11 matches are the most for the Aggies against the old guard of the SEC, trailing only the 23 contests the Maroon and White played against former Big 12 foe Missouri.
This season, Texas A&M won the regular-season meeting on September 10, 2-1. Emily Bates put a header in from 10 yards out in the seventh minute and Stephanie Malherbe scored her first career goal in the 52nd minute to give the Aggies a 2-0 lead. Savannah Jordan pulled one back in the 77th minute, but the Aggie defense thwarted the Gators attack for the final 13:13 to nailed down the victory. Florida won the first three regular-season matches between the teams since A&M joined the SEC in 2012. Texas A&M won the lone SEC Tournament meeting between the two, scoring a 2-1 win in the 2013 championship match.
SCOUTING FLORIDA
The Gators enter Sunday's championship contest on a hot streak, winning their last eight games. During the run, Florida has pulled out 2-1 victories, including the quarterfinal triumph against Vanderbilt. Florida is 16-3-1 on the year and won the SEC regular-season crown with an 8-2-1 record in league play.
Gators picked up SEC Offensive Player of the Year and SEC Defensive Player of the Year recognition with Savannah Jordan and Christen Westphal earning the respective honors. Jordan has 47 points on the year with 21 goals and five assists. Westphal has 16 points on two goals and 12 assists and she has helped the Gators record five shutouts. Brook Sharp has also contributed mightily with 24 points on 10 goals and four assists. Two goalkeepers have seen a bevy of action for Florida. Kaylan Marckese has 1,130 minutes in the woodwork, logging a 0.72 goals-against average, 41 saves and four shutouts. Valerie Tysinger has played 725 minutes, registering a 1.62 goals-against average, 17 shutouts and one save.
HUMMEL RACKING UP SHUTOUTS
Despite not starting three league contests, freshman Mia Hummel shared the SEC lead for most shutouts in conference action (four) with Ole Miss's Marnie Merritt. The rookie goalkeeper recorded league shutouts against Mississippi State, Alabama, Kentucky and Arkansas.
RICE'S SUCCESSFUL DEBUT
Danielle Rice has been outstanding in her first two outings. In the regular-season finale, she entered the contest in the 69th minute with the score tied 1-1 against Missouri and made four saves, including a PK stop in the second overtime period to stave off defeat. In her first career A&M start, Rice posted a shutout in the Aggies' SEC Tournament quarterfinal win against Ole Miss. She spent her first two seasons at Creighton where she started all 36 games during her career, logging eight shutouts.
EVERYBODY IS DOING IT
With Danielle Rice's two shutouts in the SEC Tournament, Texas A&M became the first SEC team to have five different goalkeepers record multiple shutouts over a two year span. In 2014, Renee McDermott logged four shutouts and Jordan Day notched three shutouts (all in the SEC Tournament). The Aggies had goalkeepers combine on two other shutouts during the year. This season, Mia Hummel leads the squad with four shutouts and Taylor Saucier and Rice have two apiece. The Aggies also have two combined shutouts in 2015.
Shutouts in 2014 and 2015
Player (Year) Shutouts
Renee McDermott (2014) 4
Mia Hummel (2015) 4
Jordan Day (2014) 3
Taylor Saucier (2014-15) 2
Danielle Rice (2015) 2
Combined shutouts 4
Total 19
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. A&M returns 14 of 60 assists from 2014. 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 21 games, the same 11 returnees have notched 26 goals and 22 assists (74 points).
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 leads the group with 16 starts followed by Kate Hajdu with 14 starts. Ally Watt has 12 starts followed by Brittany Crabtree with eight. Kendall Ritchie has three starts and Claudette Lassandro made her first career start in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal. Amethyst Kelly and Margaret Schmidt have all seen relief action. Mia Hummel has eight starts in goal for the Aggies.
Hajdu was named SEC Freshman of the Week the opening weekend, Bates earned the honor for the fourth week of action and Watt earned the award after A&M's 1-0 win at Kentucky. Bates ranks second on the team with 19 points on seven goals and five assists. Watt has six goals on the year, all in SEC play. Hajdu has three goals and three assists. Crabtree has two goals and one assist. Lassandro has one goal and Schmidt has one assist on the season.
MUELLER AMONG ACTIVE LEADERS IN GAMES PLAYED
After missing the match against Kentucky due to a vicious elbow to the head sustained against Auburn, Texas A&M senior Karlie Mueller fell to 11th in the nation and third among SEC players in career matches played with 88 caps. She trails on Florida's Christen Westphal (92) and Claire Falknor (89) among SEC players. Mueller has made 75 career starts and owns 20 career assists, including 10 as a sophomore in 2013. Her first career goal came in her 6,047th minute of play, scoring a golden goal in the 109th minute of a 2-1 victory against North Texas.
GUERRIERI REACHES 400-WIN MILESTONE
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 409-126-30 (.750), he ranks fifth in victories and sixth in winning percentage (minimum five years as a Division I head coach). Guerrieri ranks fifth all-time among NCAA Division I coaches in victories, trailing only North Carolina's Anson Dorrance (792), Connecticut's Len Tsantiris (543), Florida's Becky Burleigh (452) and Santa Clara's Jerry Smith (435).
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 this season. The quartet accounted for 17 goals and 11 assists for 45 points on the season. Haley Pounds has produced 26 points with 11 goals and four assists, including her first career hat trick against Abilene Christian. She was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week the opening week when she logged one goal and four assists. After going without a goal in her first 22 career matches, Mikaela Harvey has scored a goal in six of the last 20 contests and has added three assists. McKayla Paulson notched the first two goals of her career, both in the win at Rice, and added a goal against Mississippi State and assists against UC Irvine and North Texas. Stephanie Malherbe logged her first career goal in the 2-1 win against then No. 10 Florida and has added three assists.
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 0.93 goals-against average and 10 shutouts. Saucier has started 11 contests, logging 920 minutes. She owns a 1.08 goals-against average, 35 saves and two shutouts. Saucier's goals-against average when PKs are taken out of the equation, stands at 0.88. Mia Hummel has seen action in 11 matches, including eight starts. She has yielded nine goals, made 24 saves and owns shutouts against Mississippi State, Alabama, Kentucky and Arkansas. Hummel and Saucier combined to record shutouts against Northwestern State and UC Irvine. Danielle Rice saw her first action in the regular-season finale registering four saves in 41 blank minutes, including making a save on a penalty kick to stave off defeat. In the SEC Tournament quarterfinal, Rice recorded her first shutout at A&M with a 2-0 blanking against Ole Miss and she followed with a 1-0 shutout against LSU. Rice has not allowed a goal in 221 minutes of action.
PAULSON – THE AGGIES' IRON MAN
Prior to exiting the contest with an injury in the 15th minute of the SEC Tournament semifinal, McKayla Paulson was the only Aggie to play every second of the 2015 campaign. Paulson still leads the team with 1,853 minutes played on the season. Mikaela Harvey (1,813), Ashlynn Harryman (1,811), Haley Pounds (1,797), Stephanie Malherbe (1,715) and Karlie Mueller (1,695) are all averaging over 80 minutes per Texas A&M match.
WINNING
With their win against Alabama on October 9, the Aggies guaranteed themselves their 23rd consecutive winning season - the entirety of their life as a program. 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 20 years it has been aligned with a conference. This season is the lowest conference winning percentage for the Aggies at .591. Prior to this season, 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. This marks the first time since 2003 that the Aggies did not finish either first or second in the conference. In 20 seasons of league action, A&M has finished first or second in the conference standings on 17 occasions with the other non-top-two finishes coming in 1998 (3rd Big 12 - 7-2) and 2003 (5th Big 12 - 5-3-2).
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 74-18-6 over their four years, the third-best win total in the nation. Florida State's seniors are 79-9-7, followed by Virginia 79-9-4.
NIP-AND-TUCK
Over the last three seasons, the Aggies are 27-7-5 in games decided by one game or less. This season, the Maroon and White are 6-3-1 in games decided by one goal or less. Last season, Texas A&M went 11-2-2 in one-goal games, including a pair of 2-1 victories in their run to the College Cup. The Aggies went 10-2-2 in the nail-biters in 2012, including all three of their wins en route to winning their first-ever SEC Tournament title.
TOURNAMENT INTENSITY
Seven of Texas A&M's nine SEC Tournament wins to date have been by one goal and the Aggies' highest goal output has been three goals against Georgia in last year's quarterfinal. Texas A&M won the 2013 SEC Tournament with just five goals on the back of three one-goal decisions. Last year, the Aggies notched 1-0 wins in the semifinal bout against South Carolina and the championship match against Kentucky.
MULTIPLE GOAL GAMES
The Aggies have had players record multiple goals in a game four times this season, including Haley Pound's hat trick against Abilene Christian on September 6. Pounds also had a two-goal effort against Ole Miss. Kate Hajdu scored two goals in the season opener, becoming just the fourth Aggie freshman to score multiple goals in a debut. Freshmen Emily Bates and Ally Watt each logged two goals in the Aggies' 4-0 blanking of Alabama.
8/21 Kate Hajdu (2) - at Rice (W, 4-2)
9/6 Haley Pounds (3) - ABILENE CHRISTIAN (W, 4-1)
10/9 Emily Bates (2) - ALABAMA (W, 4-0)
10/9 Ally Watt (2) - ALABAMA (W, 4-0)
10/25 Haley Pounds (2) - OLE MISS (L, 3-4)
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT SUCCESS
The Aggies have a tradition of success at conference tournaments with an overall mark of 32-11-4 in league tournaments, winning seven conference tournament crowns, including SEC Tournament crowns the last two seasons.
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.
ALL-TIME SEC TOURNAMENT RESULTS
2012
W, 1-0 (ot) South Carolina 10/31
L, 0-2 Auburn 11/2
2013
W, 1-0 Auburn 11/6
W, 2-1 South Carolina (#9) 11/8
W, 2-1 Florida (#5) 11/10
2014
W, 3-0 Georgia 11/5
W, 1-0 South Carolina (#17) 11/7
W, 1-0 Kentucky (#20) 11/9
2015
W, 2-0 Ole Miss (#17) 11/4
W, 1-0 LSU 11/6
TEXAS A&M SEC TOURNAMENT RECORDS
INDIVIDUAL GOALS
Game
2, Liz Keester (vs South Carolina - W, 2-1 [semifinal]; November 8, 2013)
Tournament
3, Liz Keester (2013)
Career
3, Liz Keester (2013-current)
INDIVIDUAL ASSISTS
Game
1, 11 times
Tournament
2, Shea Groom (2013) & Kelley Monogue (2014)
Career
3, Shea Groom (2012-14) & Kelley Monogue (2012-14)
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UP NEXT
The Aggies will learn their NCAA Championship fate on Monday afternoon during the 3:30 pm selection show.
Players Mentioned
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GK
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GK
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GK
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The Aggie Soccer Hour (Extra)
Wednesday, September 17
The Aggie Soccer Hour (Ep 3)
Wednesday, September 10
Weekly Press Conference: G Guerrieri
Monday, September 08
Highlights: Texas A&M 1, TCU 2
Sunday, September 07
