News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – The Texas A&M soccer team faces its highest ranked opponent of the season Thursday then the Aggies host the No. 5 Auburn Tigers in a 7 p.m. match at Ellis Field.
Sydney Becerra leads the Aggies with nine points on three goals and three assists and Mia Pante has chipped in with seven points on three goals and one assist. Margo Matula, MaKhiya McDonald and Taylor Pounds each have five points with two goals and one assist. Texas A&M boasts 10 different goal scorers and 15 players with assists.
Texas A&M has six shutouts through 10 matches, including blank slates by three different netminders. In the SEC opener, Sydney Fuller recorded her third shutout of the season. She owns a 1.00 goals against average in her six starts. Grace McClellan has two shutouts and Maysen Veronda recorded a 5-0 win against Lamar in the opener before a season-ending injury.
The Aggies boast a 9-4-1 edge in the all-time series against the Tigers with all the matches coming since Texas A&M joined the SEC for the 2012 campaign. The Maroon & White are 6-0-0 all-time against Auburn at Ellis Field, winning each of the last three meetings by two-goal margins. The teams played to a 0-0 draw last year in Alabama with A&M’s Kenna Caldwell making six saves and Auburn’s Maddie Prohaska recording seven stops in the double shutout.
With their win at Missouri, the Aggies became the first SEC team and the first Lone Star State team to win 500 games. The Maroon & White are leaps and bounds ahead of the nearest team on both wins charts. Among SEC teams, only Florida (446) has over 400 wins. In the Lone Star State, only SMU (467) has reached the 400 mark.
The Tigers are 9-0-1 on the season, including a 1-0-1 league ledger. Auburn is outscoring opponents 33-2 on the year and a stout defense has limited opponents to 6.0 shots and 1.7 shots-on-goal per game. The Tigers wins are over Clemson (4-0), Southern Miss (6-0), Coastal Carolina (3-0), South Alabama (6-0), Appalachian State (3-0), Samford (5-0), Ohio State (1-0), Old Dominion (2-0) and Florida (1-0) with a 2-2 draw against Vanderbilt.
Auburn’s potent offense has three players with double digits in the points column. Olivia Woodson leads the way with 14 points on six goals and two assists. Shelby Sallee has 13 points on five goals and three assists. Anna Haddock also owns 13 points with a team-high seven assists and three goals. Becky Contreras, Dylan Driver and Sydnie Thibodaux each have three goals. Prohaska has started all 10 matches in goal, recording a 0.20 goals-against average and eight shutouts.
The match streams on SEC Network+ with David Ellis (play-by-play) and Jeff Given (color) painting the picture. A radio call of the match airs on Gospel 97.3 FM in the Brazos Valley with the audio also available in the 12th Man Mobile app.
PROMOTIONS
SOCtoberfest:
- Insulated Koozie 12th Man Rewards Giveaway for the first 200 members that check-in and claim the item at the Howdy Tent in the northwest corner.
- German-based beer will be available to purchase at the concession stands.
Reveille Photo Opportunity: Pre-match from 6-6:45 p.m. in northwest corner.
Junior Aggie Club Match: JAC members can claim a FREE ticket in advance to the match.
Vet Tix/ 1st Tix Tickets: Comp tickets for military personnel and first responders via vettix.org and 1sttix.org.
12TH MAN REWARDS
12th Man Rewards is the free program that appreciates fans for standing with the 12th Man and attending Texas A&M athletics events in support of creating a homefield advantage for our student-athletes and coaches.
The more events you attend, your points will increase. Those points can be redeemed via the online Giveaway Store for a variety of items. Register within the 12th Man Mobile app to earn points at the match.
PARKING AND ENTRANCE
Following the recent construction surrounding Ellis Field, the only entrances to the facility are the northeast and northwest corners across from Reed Arena.