Aggies Unveil 2018 Schedule

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M Aggies released their schedule for 2018 campaign, head coach G Guerrieri announced Friday.
 
The Maroon & White's 19-game, regular-season slate features 12 matches at Ellis Field and includes eight contests against teams that finished in the RPI top 50 last season.
 
"Every year, for decades, we have prided ourselves on challenging our team with tough regular-season matches to prepare us for the rigors of Southeastern Conference and NCAA post-season play," Texas A&M head coach G Guerrieri said. "2018 is only slightly different in that we will be playing so many of these big games at Ellis Field, in front of the 12th Man."
 
As they have done several times in recent years, the Aggies will again trek west to commence the 2018 campaign. The Maroon & White travel to Honolulu for a pair of games, including the season opener August 17 against the Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine and a neutral site match August 19 versus Loyola Marymount.
 
Texas A&M opens the home schedule Friday, August 24 when they host the BYU Cougars. The Aggies welcome another West Coast Conference team to Ellis Field later that weekend as San Diego rolls into Ellis Field on Sunday, August 26.
 
The following weekend, the Maroon & White host former Big 12 foe Oklahoma on Friday, August 31, and Santa Clara, who appeared in last season's Sweet 16, on Sunday, September 2.
 
The eight-game homestand continues into the next week as A&M faces Friday/Sunday tilts with Colorado College (9/7) and William & Mary (9/9). The final non-conference test for the Aggies comes Sunday, September 16 when they host the Kansas Jayhawks.
 
"Our non-conference schedule includes big challenges from some of the top traditional powers in America," Guerrieri said.  Former National Champion Santa Clara, former Big 12 rivals Oklahoma and Kansas, and other traditional NCAA powers from San Diego, Hawai'i, Colorado College, William & Mary, BYU and Loyola Marymount give us different high level challenges every time we step on the pitch."
 
Coming off their best conference record since joining the SEC (9-1), the Aggies' 2018 SEC slate features five home and five road games. To begin SEC play, the Aggies host the LSU Tigers on Friday September 14 before making their first SEC road trip to Arkansas the following Thursday (9/20). The SEC home slate also includes fixtures against Georgia (9/23), Auburn (10/4), Mississippi State (10/12) and Tennessee (10/21).
 
Along with their trip to Fayetteville, A&M will hit the road to play Ole Miss (9/28), Kentucky (10/7) and Alabama (10/18) before concluding the regular season with a trek to South Carolina on Thursday, October 25.
 
The Aggies will look to defend their 2017 SEC Tournament title as they return to Orange Beach, Alabama for the 2018 tourney with action kicking off on Sunday, October 28 and the championship game slated for Sunday, November 4.
 
"I'm excited to be able to host so many matches at Ellis Field," Guerrieri said. "Aggieland and Aggie Soccer's 12th Man has earned a wonderful coast-to-coast reputation from soccer coaches, players and fans as having the best game day experience and the best playing surface in the country.  So it should be fun for our great fans to have so many fantastic games being played in our home stadium."
 
Texas A&M wrapped up the 2017 season with a program best winning percentage (.864) on 18-2-2 mark. The Maroon& White earned a bid to their 23rd consecutive NCAA Championship and advanced to the second round of the tournament for the 19th straight season.
 
The Aggies' first action of the season will come Sunday, August 5 when the Maroon & White host Texas Southern in an exhibition match at Ellis Field. On August 11, the Aggies play another exhibition match with a fixture against TCU.