Texas A&M
Hawai'i
Players Mentioned
Match Preview: Hawai'i
Aug 16, 2018 | Soccer
HONOLULU - The Aggies open their 26th season Friday with their first-ever trip to Hawai'i to play the Rainbow Wahine. The match is the first of two for Texas A&M at the Outrigger Soccer Kickoff.
Fans can listen to every match in 2018 on 102.7 The Zone in the Brazos Valley and, worldwide, on RadioAggieland.com, the Radio Aggieland app and 12thMan.com. No streaming will be available for the contest. Fans can track stats on HawaiiAthletics.com.
Texas A&M enters the season with a streak of 23 consecutive NCAA Championship appearances, the fourth-best streak in the nation. The Maroon & White also boast a 15-match unbeaten streak with their last loss coming at Auburn (0-1) on September 15, 2017.
Since 1993, Texas A&M is 20-5 all-time in the first match of the year. The Aggies have won 13 of their last 16 season openers with losses coming to then-No. 1 North Carolina (L, 0-3) in 2010, then-No. 7 Duke (L, 0-2) in 2013 and then-No. 1 Florida State (L, 0-1) in 2016.
Texas A&M returns 16 letterwinners from the 2017 campaign, including nine players who started at least 50 percent of last season's 22 matches. The returnees account for 34 of the Aggies' 46 goals from last season. The Aggies welcome back All-SEC performers Ally Watt and Kendall Ritchie. Other key returnees include SEC All-Freshman Addie McCain, Texas A&M Defensive MVP Briana Alston and starting goalkeeper Cosette Morché. Two other former SEC All-Freshman return with Emily Bates and Grace Piper playing their senior and junior seasons, respectively.
Watt was the Aggies' leading scorer last season, logging 24 points on 11 goals and two assists. Bates chipped in with 14 points on four goals and six assists. Morché played every minute in goal for the Aggies, posting a 0.75 goals-against average and eight shutouts.
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.
This marks the Aggies first-ever meeting against Hawai'i on the soccer pitch.
The Rainbow Wahine welcome back 11 letter winners from last season, including eight starters, one of which is All-Big West selection, senior midfielder Raisa Strom-Okimoto. In 2017 she started all 17 matches, finishing second on the team with three goals while leading the team in shots on goal, and will be looked upon as a leader.
For the second consecutive season UH will welcome in a large freshmen class, in 2017 the roster held 10 true freshmen, while 2018 will also have ten, and additional transfer to make the incoming class a total of 11 new student-athletes. Leading to the program to continue to build towards the future, coming off a 6-10-1 mark from a year ago.
