Match Preview: Ole Miss

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 5 Texas A&M Aggies hit the road for a Friday evening contest against the Ole Miss Rebels. The match is slated for a 7 p.m. start.

 

The Maroon & White look to break loose from a pack of six teams tied for second place in the SEC standings. Ole Miss is one of the other five teams with a 2-1-0 mark in league play. The peloton sits three points behind first-place Vanderbilt (3-0-0 SEC).

 

Texas A&M has strung together 13 consecutive games scoring multiple goals, a new school record. It tops the school record set from Oct. 15, 1994 to Sept. 8, 1995. It is the fourth string in school history in which the Maroon & White logged multiple goals in 10 or more consecutive matches.

 

The Aggies have spent a majority of the 2018 campaign in an enviable position. Over the course of 1,080 minutes of play, Texas A&M has trailed for just 39:13. The Maroon & White have owned the lead for 650:54 and action has been tied for 389:53.

 

Texas A&M is excelling on both ends of the pitch. Entering the weekend, the Aggies ranked 10th in the country in scoring average (2.75 goals per game) and 10th in goals-against average (0.417). The Maroon & White are one of four teams in the nation to rank in the top 12 of both categories. Texas A&M is joined in the club by Colorado (2nd scoring, 3rd GAA), North Dakota (8th scoring, 2nd GAA) and USC (6th scoring, 5th GAA).

 

The Aggies are 5-2-1 all-time against Ole Miss with all the meetings coming since Texas A&M joined the SEC, including three matches in 2015. Last season, the Aggies' got an 88th minute goal from Mikaela Harvey to register a 1-0 victory over the Ole Miss Rebels. Cosette Morché made four saves in the shutout.

 

The Rebels own an 8-4-0 record with a 2-1-0 ledger in league play. In SEC play, Ole Miss has wins against Alabama (1-0) and Auburn (3-2) and a loss against Tennessee (2-0).

 

CeCe Kizer leads the conference in scoring with 26 points on 11 goals and four assists. Other top scoring threats include Channing Foster (4 g, 1 a), Madisyn Pezzino (3 g, 3 a) and Haleigh Stackpole (4 g, 1 a) each have nine points on the season.