Soccer Kicks Off '26-27 Aggieland Athletics Season with Wednesday Exhibition

Admission and parking are free for the fall lid-lifter at Ellis Field.
The first event on the 2026-27 athletics calendar is the unofficial head coaching debut for Bobby Shuttleworth.
Eleven returning lettermen and 14 newcomers take the field for the first time as a unit.

COLLEGE STATION – The Texas A&M soccer team hosts the UIW Cardinals for an exhibition match Wednesday at 7 p.m. on Ellis Field.

Admission to the match is free. For this exhibition match only, fans are invited to bring in their own food and beverages. With the exception of bottled water for purchase, concessions will not be available.

The Aggies are in their first season under head coach Bobby Shuttleworth. The two-time national championship winning assistant was hired as the second head coach in Texas A&M soccer program history in December and worked tirelessly to assemble a highly competitive squad.

The Maroon & White return 11 letterwinners from last year, highlighted by SEC All-Freshman defender Riley Crooks. Trinity Buchanan, Kat Campbell and Hattie Patterson joined Crooks in starting all 17 matches a year ago. Buchanan is the leading scorer among returnees, following a 2025 with 12 points on five goals and two assists. Leah Diaz added 10 points on three goals and four assists.

The new-look Aggies welcome four transfers this season, including Norah Bell (Arizona State), Bella Carapazza (Lipscomb), Ciara Jade Mitchell (San Diego State) and Adelaide Paredes (St. Bonaventure).

The Aggies also landed one of the nation’s top recruiting classes. Six rookies from California joined the squad, including Makenna August (Temecula), Ireland Churchill (Eastvale), Juliet Haras (Glendora), Finley Lacher (Fullerton), Sami Ruiz (Corona) and Kieana Smith (Murrieta). The other freshmen include Blake Hughes (Denver, Colo.), Brynja Ran Knudsen (Reykjavik, Iceland), Morgan Landry (Frisco, Texas) and Ava Sexton (Southlake, Texas).

UIW registered a 4-8-4 record last season, including a 2-5-3 mark in Southland Conference action. The Cardinals enter their fourth season under the direction of head coach Jake Plant.

The match is the first of two exhibition contests for Texas A&M. The Aggies travel to Austin Saturday for a7 p.m. match against the Texas Longhorns. The Maroon & White open the regular-season Wednesday, Aug. 12 with a trip to Houston to play the Rice Owls in a 6 p.m. contest.