Sunday, August 30
College Station
6:00 PM
Texas A&M
vs
FAU
Match Day Preview: FAU
Aug 29, 2015 | Soccer
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The No. 4 Texas A&M Aggies and Florida Atlantic Owls each own a 3-0-0 record heading into Sunday's 6 pm contest at Ellis Field. Both squads posted shutouts at Ellis Field on Friday with Texas A&M blanking UC Irvine, 4-0, and Florida Atlantic besting Sam Houston State, 2-0, to set up the battle of unbeatens. In the first half of the first game of the season, Texas A&M was outscored 2-1, but in the five halves since then the Maroon and White have overwhelmed foes, outscoring opponents 10-0.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Sunday's match will be available digitally on mobile devices, tablets, PCs and connect-TVs for SEC Network subscribers whose cable/satellite packages allow access to SEC Network+ through the WatchESPN app and SECSports.com. The match can be heard on the RadioAggieland app and 12thMan.com. Sunday's match can be heard locally on SportsRadio 1150 The Zone and 102.7 FM in Bryan-College Station.
4-0-0 STARTS
The Aggies are looking for their sixth 4-0-0 start in school history. In 2014, Texas A&M started the season 4-0-0, the first time starting the season with four consecutive wins since the 2003 campaign. The Aggies' best start is 9-0-0, a feat they accomplished in both 1996 and 1997. The Aggies also started 6-0-0 in 1999.
PERFECT STARTS THROUGH FOUR MATCHES
1996 9-0-0
1997 9-0-0
1999 6-0-0
2003 4-0-0
2014 4-0-0
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 62-13-5 over their three years, the fourth-best win total in the nation. Florida State's seniors are 70-7-4, followed by Virginia 67-9-3 and UCLA 62-6-7.
LAST TIME OUT – UC IRVINE
Texas A&M rolled to a 4-0 victory over the Anteaters in front of nearly 5,000 fans on Fish Camp Night. The Aggies blitzed UC Irvine to the tune of a 28-3 edge in shots and 11-1 advantage in corner kicks. The dominance was highlighted early on by Mikaela Harvey who controlled the ball at center line 2:30 into the match and after dribbling around and through five different UC Irvine defenders she found herself just left of the penalty kick spot and unleashed a missile to open the scoring. Before the night was over, Haley Pounds, Kate Hajdu and Claudette Lassandro found the back of the net. Taylor Saucier and Mia Hummel combined for the second consecutive Aggie shutout with Saucier playing the first 60 minutes without needing to make a save and Hummel making two saves in the final 30 minutes.
SERIES VS. FLORIDA ATLANTIC
The Aggies won the lone meeting between the two squads, registering a 4-0 win on September 20, 2002. Texas A&M overwhelmed the Owls that day with a 37-3 advantage in shots.
SCOUTING FLORIDA ATLANTIC
The Owls started the season with a pair of road victories, opening the year with a 4-1 win at Stetson and triumphing at North Florida, 1-0. On Tuesday they toppled Sam Houston State, 2-0, at Ellis Field. Geovana Alves leads the squad with three goals on the year. Goalkeeper Sydney Drinkwater has played all 270 minutes in goal, notching two shutouts and registering a 0.33 goals-against average.
Claire Emslie is the leading scorer from a year ago when she paced the team with 13 points on five goals and three assists. Drinkwater played all 1,938 minutes in goal last season, posting 0.98 goals-against average and eight shutouts. Last season, the Owls were 7-9-4 overall and 2-5-3 in Conference USA. Florida Atlantic's finest hour came in 2005 when the Owls went 16-4-1 overall, won the Atlantic Sun regular-season title (9-0-1), claimed the Atlantic Sun tournament title and earned their lone NCAA Championship bid.
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 397-121-29 (.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 (781), Connecticut's Len Tsantiris (526), Florida's Becky Burleigh (437), Santa Clara's Jerry Smith (425) 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.
The Aggies return 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.
AGGIES NOTCH THEIR 200th WIN AT ELLIS FIELD
Texas A&M owns a 208-30-6 (.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 108-14-6 (.867) mark on the friendly pitch. Texas A&M is 215-30-6 (.869) all-time in College Station, going 7-0-0 in their one season at Old Tiger Field.
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' opening day lineup included three freshmen. Rookies getting the starting nod included Emily Bates, Brittany Crabtree and Kate Hajdu. Ally Watt also saw action in the opener.
The lineup for the next two matches also had three freshmen in the starting lineup with Watt taking the place of Crabtree. Rookies Amethyst Kelly, Claudette Lassandro and Kendall Ritchie also saw action in the 3-0 win against Northwestern State and Lassandro and Ritchie entered the contest against UC Irvine with Lassandro netting her first career goal.
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 season opening weekend. The quartet has accounted for six goals and five assists in the first three matches. Haley Pounds produced six points in the weekend with one goal and four assists and added another goal against UC Irvine. McKayla Paulson notched the first two goals of her career, both in the win at Rice, and added an assist versus UC Irvine. Mikaela Harvey notched her first career goal in Sunday's triumph against Northwestern State and added a goal in the win over UC Irvine. The four sophomores all played at least 220 of the 270 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 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.
Saucier got the nod in the season opener, making three saves in the 4-2 victory. Saucier and true freshman Mia Hummel each played a half as Texas A&M recorded a 3-0 shutout in the home opener against Northwestern State. Against UC Irvine, the pair combined on another shutout with Saucier playing the first 60 minutes without having to make a save and Hummel making two saves in the final 30 minutes. The Aggie goalkeepers have combined for a 0.67 goals-against average and seven saves in 270 minutes of action this season.
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 Friday as they head to Tallahassee to play the current No. 1 Florida State Seminoles in a 6 pm match.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Sunday's match will be available digitally on mobile devices, tablets, PCs and connect-TVs for SEC Network subscribers whose cable/satellite packages allow access to SEC Network+ through the WatchESPN app and SECSports.com. The match can be heard on the RadioAggieland app and 12thMan.com. Sunday's match can be heard locally on SportsRadio 1150 The Zone and 102.7 FM in Bryan-College Station.
4-0-0 STARTS
The Aggies are looking for their sixth 4-0-0 start in school history. In 2014, Texas A&M started the season 4-0-0, the first time starting the season with four consecutive wins since the 2003 campaign. The Aggies' best start is 9-0-0, a feat they accomplished in both 1996 and 1997. The Aggies also started 6-0-0 in 1999.
PERFECT STARTS THROUGH FOUR MATCHES
1996 9-0-0
1997 9-0-0
1999 6-0-0
2003 4-0-0
2014 4-0-0
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 62-13-5 over their three years, the fourth-best win total in the nation. Florida State's seniors are 70-7-4, followed by Virginia 67-9-3 and UCLA 62-6-7.
LAST TIME OUT – UC IRVINE
Texas A&M rolled to a 4-0 victory over the Anteaters in front of nearly 5,000 fans on Fish Camp Night. The Aggies blitzed UC Irvine to the tune of a 28-3 edge in shots and 11-1 advantage in corner kicks. The dominance was highlighted early on by Mikaela Harvey who controlled the ball at center line 2:30 into the match and after dribbling around and through five different UC Irvine defenders she found herself just left of the penalty kick spot and unleashed a missile to open the scoring. Before the night was over, Haley Pounds, Kate Hajdu and Claudette Lassandro found the back of the net. Taylor Saucier and Mia Hummel combined for the second consecutive Aggie shutout with Saucier playing the first 60 minutes without needing to make a save and Hummel making two saves in the final 30 minutes.
SERIES VS. FLORIDA ATLANTIC
The Aggies won the lone meeting between the two squads, registering a 4-0 win on September 20, 2002. Texas A&M overwhelmed the Owls that day with a 37-3 advantage in shots.
SCOUTING FLORIDA ATLANTIC
The Owls started the season with a pair of road victories, opening the year with a 4-1 win at Stetson and triumphing at North Florida, 1-0. On Tuesday they toppled Sam Houston State, 2-0, at Ellis Field. Geovana Alves leads the squad with three goals on the year. Goalkeeper Sydney Drinkwater has played all 270 minutes in goal, notching two shutouts and registering a 0.33 goals-against average.
Claire Emslie is the leading scorer from a year ago when she paced the team with 13 points on five goals and three assists. Drinkwater played all 1,938 minutes in goal last season, posting 0.98 goals-against average and eight shutouts. Last season, the Owls were 7-9-4 overall and 2-5-3 in Conference USA. Florida Atlantic's finest hour came in 2005 when the Owls went 16-4-1 overall, won the Atlantic Sun regular-season title (9-0-1), claimed the Atlantic Sun tournament title and earned their lone NCAA Championship bid.
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 397-121-29 (.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 (781), Connecticut's Len Tsantiris (526), Florida's Becky Burleigh (437), Santa Clara's Jerry Smith (425) 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.
The Aggies return 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.
AGGIES NOTCH THEIR 200th WIN AT ELLIS FIELD
Texas A&M owns a 208-30-6 (.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 108-14-6 (.867) mark on the friendly pitch. Texas A&M is 215-30-6 (.869) all-time in College Station, going 7-0-0 in their one season at Old Tiger Field.
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' opening day lineup included three freshmen. Rookies getting the starting nod included Emily Bates, Brittany Crabtree and Kate Hajdu. Ally Watt also saw action in the opener.
The lineup for the next two matches also had three freshmen in the starting lineup with Watt taking the place of Crabtree. Rookies Amethyst Kelly, Claudette Lassandro and Kendall Ritchie also saw action in the 3-0 win against Northwestern State and Lassandro and Ritchie entered the contest against UC Irvine with Lassandro netting her first career goal.
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 season opening weekend. The quartet has accounted for six goals and five assists in the first three matches. Haley Pounds produced six points in the weekend with one goal and four assists and added another goal against UC Irvine. McKayla Paulson notched the first two goals of her career, both in the win at Rice, and added an assist versus UC Irvine. Mikaela Harvey notched her first career goal in Sunday's triumph against Northwestern State and added a goal in the win over UC Irvine. The four sophomores all played at least 220 of the 270 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 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.
Saucier got the nod in the season opener, making three saves in the 4-2 victory. Saucier and true freshman Mia Hummel each played a half as Texas A&M recorded a 3-0 shutout in the home opener against Northwestern State. Against UC Irvine, the pair combined on another shutout with Saucier playing the first 60 minutes without having to make a save and Hummel making two saves in the final 30 minutes. The Aggie goalkeepers have combined for a 0.67 goals-against average and seven saves in 270 minutes of action this season.
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 Friday as they head to Tallahassee to play the current No. 1 Florida State Seminoles in a 6 pm match.
Players Mentioned
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M
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GK
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M
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M
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GK
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D
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D/M
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F/M
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D
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D
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