SILVER SEASON SERIES: Best In Texas

In 1993, when Coach G Guerrieri was drafting the blueprints for the Texas A&M Soccer program, one of his first goals was to become the top college team in the state.

"Texas is our first name," Guerrieri said. "I knew that by bringing the best people in from our state, I would be pulling from one of the very top talent pools in the country. I knew we could build a power by first being the best in our state and then expanding regional and nationally from there."

Twenty-five years later it's clear his first mission was accomplished. Heading into the Aggies' Silver Season, the squad is 104-13-8 (.864) against in-state competition, including 26-0-5 (.919) since 2008.

"I think it says that we accomplished the goal we set 25 years ago and continue to take steps forward," Guerrieri said. "But it's always more difficult to maintain and build on excellence than it is to climb that initial ladder. We still strive to build on what we have achieved."

The early target for the Aggies was the SMU Mustangs. When the A&M program started in 1993, SMU was clearly the top side in the state. The Mustangs finished ranked No. 11 in the NSCAA Coaches Poll in both 1990 and 1992 and were perennial NCAA tournament participants.

Jumping into the recruiting cycle late, Coach Guerrieri cobbled together a squad in that initial season in 1993 and had the team rolling when they headed into Dallas for their first meeting with the Mustangs. The Maroon and White got a goal from Tina Robinson, and Sunny McConnell made eight saves in goal as the Aggies earned a 1-1 draw to earn instant credibility.

"SMU was the big dog in the state at the time and we were just starting," Guerrieri said. "I had and still have a great deal of respect for their coach Alan Kirkup, who is now an assistant coach at Florida. He built an outstanding program. SMU was a program I wanted to be able to catch and eventually be able to pass. That was a standard I made public to the team. That was a big night for the program."

They finished 8-0-1 against in-state teams in 1993 and followed it up with a 4-0 mark in 1995. In 1995, SMU briefly reclaimed the mantle when they toppled the Aggies three times, including a 2-1 nail-biter in the NCAA Tournament.

SMU would eliminate the Aggies from the 1997 NCAA Tournament, too. The 1-0 loss was a match where the Aggies held advantages in shots (18-5), shots-on-goal (6-3) and corner kicks (5-1), but one ball through the keeper's mitts gave the Mustangs the win. Since that defeat, the Aggies have steamrolled to an 8-0-1 mark against the Mustangs to stake claim to the title of the state's best squad.

In addition to their 11-4-2 series advantage against SMU, the Aggies have built stout advantages over former Big 12 Conference foes Baylor (13-4-1), Texas (20-5-2) and Texas Tech (15-1-2).

To be the best team in the state, you have to attract the best players in the state. The Aggies have done that since their inception. For Coach Guerrieri, the foundation for the future was cemented in the early days, and it was cemented with Texans.

"By the late 70s and 80s, the Sting Soccer Club and D'Feeters Soccer Club were winning youth national championships and were consistently in the top four or five every year," Guerrieri said. "I was targeting the players coming through the top clubs, first in Dallas, then in Houston, Austin and the rest of the state. That first class I brought in four or five players that played for me with Sting like Yvette Okler, Sandy Edwards and Allison Buckley. The second year we were able to pull in the top player from North Texas, Bryn Blalack, and the top player from South Texas, Diana Rowe. All those and the unnamed Texans built a strong future."

The influx of Texas talent has continued to flow into Brazos Valley. This season, the 23-player roster includes 17 Lone Star products. They're all drawn to top program in the state.

"It's the best place in Texas to play soccer," senior defender McKayla Paulson said. "When I was looking at places to play it was clear that Texas A&M was special. They were playing a championship level of soccer, the atmosphere at Ellis Field was electric and the coaching staff was second to none. I couldn't dream of a better place to go."

Since 2012, when the Aggies joined the SEC, their opportunities to flex their muscles against in-state rivals are less frequent, but the results are the same. The Maroon and White have gone 10-0-2 in the matches, including a 3-0-1 ledger in NCAA Championship action.

In 2013, the Aggies faced Texas Tech in an NCAA Second Round match in Chapel Hill. The Red Raiders twice took leads, but Texas A&M responded with goals by Annie Kunz and Shea Groom. The match went to penalty kicks, where the Aggies prevailed 4-3.

Last season, Texas A&M traveled to Forth Worth for an NCAA First Round match against the upstart TCU Horned Frogs. Stephanie Malherbe scored the lone goal of the match in the seventh minute and Danielle Rice made four saves in the shutout.

There is no Lone Star combatant on the slate for 2017, but the Aggies will be ready for a possible postseason test. They'll be ready once again to prove they're the best in Texas.

"Every program in the state gets better and better," Guerrieri said. "Some really good hires have been made by different universities around the state, so staying on top constantly gets tougher. Getting those wins in the NCAA is a good positive affirmation that the program continues to move forward."