Thursday, September 10
Gainesville, Fla.
6:00 PM
Texas A&M
at
Florida
Match Day Preview: Florida
Sep 08, 2015 | Soccer
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies (5-1-0) open SEC play Thursday with a 6 pm Central match at No. 10 Florida (4-1-0). The match will be televised nationally on the SEC Network.
Since Texas A&M's entrance in the SEC in 2012, the Aggies and Florida Gators have been the two dominant forces in the league. Over the last three seasons, the teams have identical .829 winning percentages in league play. The Gators own a slight edge in points with 87 (29-6-0) against the Aggies' 86 (28-5-2). Kentucky is the only other team in the league to log more than 20 wins in the SEC between 2012-14, going 23-11-1.
The teams have accounted for all of the regular-season and tournament titles the last three years. In 2012, Florida won the regular-season title by a two-point edge (33-31) and claimed the tournament crown. In 2013, the teams were co-champions identical 9-2-0 records in SEC play, but the Aggies prevailed over the Gators in the SEC Tournament championship game, 2-1. Last season, Texas A&M edged out Florida by one point for the regular-season title (28-27) and completed their second consecutive SEC Double with a 1-0 win over Kentucky in the tournament title match.
GUERRIERI SITS ONE WIN FROM 400
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 399-122-29 (.752), 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 (784), Connecticut's Len Tsantiris (530), Florida's Becky Burleigh (440), Santa Clara's Jerry Smith (427) and Randy Waldrum (400), who left Notre Dame in 2014 to become head coach of the Houston Dash of the NWSL.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Thursday's match is televised nationally on the SEC Network. The match is also 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 may be heard on the 12thMan.com, RadioAggieland.com and the RadioAggieland app. Locally, the match may be heard on SportsRadio 1150 The Zone and 102.7 FM in Bryan-College Station.
SEC OPENERS
The Aggies are 2-1 all-time in SEC openers. Texas A&M has opened the SEC slate on the road twice, winning their first-ever SEC league game 1-0 at LSU in 2012, but dropping a 2-1 decision at Tennessee in 2013. Last season, Shea Groom netted a hat trick as the Aggies started the season with a 3-0 victory over the Volunteers at Ellis Field.
TEXAS A&M'S SEC OPENERS
2012 - W, 1-0 at LSU
2013 - L, 1-2 at Tennessee
2014 - W, 3-0 TENNESSEE
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 64-14-5 over their four years, the third-best win total in the nation. Florida State's seniors are 71-8-4, followed by Virginia 69-9-4.
LAST TIME OUT - ABILENE CHRISTIAN
Haley Pounds logged three goals in less than 13 minutes for her first career hat trick, leading Texas A&M to a 4-1 win over the Wildcats. Abilene Christian drew first blood in the 17th minute, converting on a penalty kick. Two minutes later Mikaela Harvey evened the match with assists from Emily Bates and Stephanie Malherbe. Coming out of the intermission tied at 1-1, Pounds began work on the hat trick in the 57th minute. She gave A&M a 2-1 lead with assists from Kate Hajdu and Karlie Mueller. After Harvey got taken down twice in the penalty box, Pounds converted on penalty kicks to give the Aggies a 4-1 victory.
SERIES VS. FLORIDA
The Aggies and Gators are tied 5-5-0 in the all-time series. The 10 matches are the most for the Aggies against the old guard of the SEC, trailing only the 22 contests the Maroon and White played against former Big 12 foe Missouri. Florida has won all 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 2015 Gator team is made up of 32 players, including 15 incoming freshmen. That 15 member freshman class is the third largest in the program's 21-year history. Florida returns six starters from the 2014 team that advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinal Round. Florida returns a pair of All-Americans. Junior forward Savannah Jordan earned All-America honors in 2013 and 2014 and senior defender Christen Westphal received All-America honors in 2013.
The Gators are off to a 4-1-0 start on the season, highlighted by a 3-2 win over defending national champion Florida State on August 30. Florida also has wins over UCF (2-0), Miami (4-2) and Oklahoma State (3-2 - ot). The Gators' lone loss was at Ohio State (1-0 - ot) on August 23. Jordan leads Florida with 11 points on five goals and one assist. Sarah Troccoli and Brooke Sharp both have two goals. Valerie Tysinger has logged 410 of the 465 minutes in goal for Florida, registering a 1.32 goals-against average with seven saves and one shutout.
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 six games of the season. The quartet accounted for 11 goals and six assists for 28 points through the first three weekends. Haley Pounds has produced with five 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. 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 four of the last five contests. The four sophomores all played at least 440 of the 540 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.
MUELLER AMONG ACTIVE LEADERS IN GAMES PLAYED
Texas A&M senior Karlie Mueller ranks 11th in the nation and second among SEC players in career matches played with 74 caps. She trails on Florida's Christen Westphal (74) among SEC players. Mueller has made 62 career starts and owns 16 career assists, including 10 as a sophomore in 2013.
POUNDS LOGS THE HAT TRICK
In the Aggies' 4-1 win over Abilene Christian, Haley Pounds recorded the 35th hat trick in school history. She notched three goals in a span of 12:37 starting with 33:00 remaining in the second half. The first goal came on an assist from Kate Hajdu and Karlie Mueller. The last two goals came on penalty kicks after Mikaela Harvey drew fouls in the 18-yard box.
PAULSON AND WRIGHT EARN EARLY IRONMAN HONORS
Defenders McKayla Paulson and Grace Wright lead the team in minutes played, playing the entirety of the first six matches for 540 minutes of play. Kate Hajdu (524) and Emily Bates have also logged 500 or more minutes through the first six matches.
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 again this weekend traveling to Ohio for a 12 pm Central match against the Dayton Flyers on Sunday.
Since Texas A&M's entrance in the SEC in 2012, the Aggies and Florida Gators have been the two dominant forces in the league. Over the last three seasons, the teams have identical .829 winning percentages in league play. The Gators own a slight edge in points with 87 (29-6-0) against the Aggies' 86 (28-5-2). Kentucky is the only other team in the league to log more than 20 wins in the SEC between 2012-14, going 23-11-1.
The teams have accounted for all of the regular-season and tournament titles the last three years. In 2012, Florida won the regular-season title by a two-point edge (33-31) and claimed the tournament crown. In 2013, the teams were co-champions identical 9-2-0 records in SEC play, but the Aggies prevailed over the Gators in the SEC Tournament championship game, 2-1. Last season, Texas A&M edged out Florida by one point for the regular-season title (28-27) and completed their second consecutive SEC Double with a 1-0 win over Kentucky in the tournament title match.
GUERRIERI SITS ONE WIN FROM 400
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 399-122-29 (.752), 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 (784), Connecticut's Len Tsantiris (530), Florida's Becky Burleigh (440), Santa Clara's Jerry Smith (427) and Randy Waldrum (400), who left Notre Dame in 2014 to become head coach of the Houston Dash of the NWSL.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Thursday's match is televised nationally on the SEC Network. The match is also 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 may be heard on the 12thMan.com, RadioAggieland.com and the RadioAggieland app. Locally, the match may be heard on SportsRadio 1150 The Zone and 102.7 FM in Bryan-College Station.
SEC OPENERS
The Aggies are 2-1 all-time in SEC openers. Texas A&M has opened the SEC slate on the road twice, winning their first-ever SEC league game 1-0 at LSU in 2012, but dropping a 2-1 decision at Tennessee in 2013. Last season, Shea Groom netted a hat trick as the Aggies started the season with a 3-0 victory over the Volunteers at Ellis Field.
TEXAS A&M'S SEC OPENERS
2012 - W, 1-0 at LSU
2013 - L, 1-2 at Tennessee
2014 - W, 3-0 TENNESSEE
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 64-14-5 over their four years, the third-best win total in the nation. Florida State's seniors are 71-8-4, followed by Virginia 69-9-4.
LAST TIME OUT - ABILENE CHRISTIAN
Haley Pounds logged three goals in less than 13 minutes for her first career hat trick, leading Texas A&M to a 4-1 win over the Wildcats. Abilene Christian drew first blood in the 17th minute, converting on a penalty kick. Two minutes later Mikaela Harvey evened the match with assists from Emily Bates and Stephanie Malherbe. Coming out of the intermission tied at 1-1, Pounds began work on the hat trick in the 57th minute. She gave A&M a 2-1 lead with assists from Kate Hajdu and Karlie Mueller. After Harvey got taken down twice in the penalty box, Pounds converted on penalty kicks to give the Aggies a 4-1 victory.
SERIES VS. FLORIDA
The Aggies and Gators are tied 5-5-0 in the all-time series. The 10 matches are the most for the Aggies against the old guard of the SEC, trailing only the 22 contests the Maroon and White played against former Big 12 foe Missouri. Florida has won all 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 2015 Gator team is made up of 32 players, including 15 incoming freshmen. That 15 member freshman class is the third largest in the program's 21-year history. Florida returns six starters from the 2014 team that advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinal Round. Florida returns a pair of All-Americans. Junior forward Savannah Jordan earned All-America honors in 2013 and 2014 and senior defender Christen Westphal received All-America honors in 2013.
The Gators are off to a 4-1-0 start on the season, highlighted by a 3-2 win over defending national champion Florida State on August 30. Florida also has wins over UCF (2-0), Miami (4-2) and Oklahoma State (3-2 - ot). The Gators' lone loss was at Ohio State (1-0 - ot) on August 23. Jordan leads Florida with 11 points on five goals and one assist. Sarah Troccoli and Brooke Sharp both have two goals. Valerie Tysinger has logged 410 of the 465 minutes in goal for Florida, registering a 1.32 goals-against average with seven saves and one shutout.
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 six games of the season. The quartet accounted for 11 goals and six assists for 28 points through the first three weekends. Haley Pounds has produced with five 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. 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 four of the last five contests. The four sophomores all played at least 440 of the 540 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.
MUELLER AMONG ACTIVE LEADERS IN GAMES PLAYED
Texas A&M senior Karlie Mueller ranks 11th in the nation and second among SEC players in career matches played with 74 caps. She trails on Florida's Christen Westphal (74) among SEC players. Mueller has made 62 career starts and owns 16 career assists, including 10 as a sophomore in 2013.
POUNDS LOGS THE HAT TRICK
In the Aggies' 4-1 win over Abilene Christian, Haley Pounds recorded the 35th hat trick in school history. She notched three goals in a span of 12:37 starting with 33:00 remaining in the second half. The first goal came on an assist from Kate Hajdu and Karlie Mueller. The last two goals came on penalty kicks after Mikaela Harvey drew fouls in the 18-yard box.
PAULSON AND WRIGHT EARN EARLY IRONMAN HONORS
Defenders McKayla Paulson and Grace Wright lead the team in minutes played, playing the entirety of the first six matches for 540 minutes of play. Kate Hajdu (524) and Emily Bates have also logged 500 or more minutes through the first six matches.
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 again this weekend traveling to Ohio for a 12 pm Central match against the Dayton Flyers on Sunday.
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