Aggie soccer team ready for Big 12 Championship

By Richard Croome, The Eagle, Bryan, Texas

Nov. 4--Texas A&M is playing its best soccer going into the Big 12 tournament as evidenced by three straight shutouts at the Aggie Soccer Stadium to wrap up the regular season.

If the Aggies (12-5-2) hope to play in front of their home crowd again, it would benefit them to return from San Antonio with a Big 12 title in hand.

"I think if we win the [Big 12] tournament, then we put ourselves in a good position to be a seeded team," A&M head coach G. Guerrieri said Monday. "Otherwise it's up to the NCAA. As of the last RPI, we were No. 21 which has us comfortably in the [NCAA] Tournament but not hosting, necessarily."

A&M dropped to 25th in the RPI released Tuesday despite a 4-0 victory over Texas in the regular-season finale.

Even if the Aggies are not one of the 16 seeded teams, they could host a regional as they did in 2003 when a seeded Duke squad was sent to College Station.

For now, the Aggies' two main concerns are to continue playing at a high level and to win a title that has eluded them since 2005. A&M finished second to Missouri in the final Big 12 standings and have gone two years without a regular season title after winning four in a row.

"[Players] come here to win championships," Guerrieri said. "They prepare to win titles, not just to go along for the ride or have someone else do it. Now they realize that, hey, if we are going to win a title, it's us. We are the ones who have to get something done."

The Aggies have had to adjust on the fly this season, replacing three of four starting midfielders and a left fullback because of injuries.

Another starter on the back line, preseason All-American Bri Young, is now coming off the bench and sharing time with Nicole Ketchum as a defensive midfielder after the Aggies went through a slump in which they gave up 10 goals in three games.

"Some of the experiences were negative experiences, losing games and then having to look at the hard part of why we lost a game we should have won and making sure it doesn't happen again," Guerrieri said. "Now they are putting their own signature on the season, saying, 'OK, it's time for me to step up,' and now they've figured out it's not just talk. It's do."

Along with A&M, Missouri is the only other team likely to make the Tournament. That leaves the other six teams needing to win the tournament to gain the automatic bid to the NCAAs.

A&M received a favorable draw, having defeated all three teams -- Baylor, Colorado and Texas -- on its side of the bracket.

"We have three shutout wins against these teams," Guerrieri said. "My only concern is we show up to play the game instead of a rerun of the game we've already done well in. We can't lighten our preparation or expectations for the game, because these teams are desperate."

NOTES -- A&M beat Baylor 1-0 during the regular season. ... The Aggies are 19-8-2 all-time in the Big 12 tournament and are one of just two teams with Texas that have qualified for all 14 Big 12 tournaments. ... A&M sophomore Bri Young was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week. It is the second weekly conference award this season for Young and the sixth for the Aggies. ... Senior Emily Peterson and junior Rachel Shipley were named to the Academic All-Big 12 first team. Junior Nicole Ketchum and Young were selected to the second team.

What: Big 12 Tournament

Where: Blossom Soccer Complex, San Antonio

When: Wednesday-Sunday

Opening Round: No. 4 seed Nebraska vs. No. 5 Oklahoma State, 11:30 a.m. Game 2: No. 3 Colorado vs. No. 6 Texas, 2 p.m.; No. 1 Missouri vs. No. 8 Kansas, 5:30 p.m.; Game 4: No. 2 Texas A&M vs. No. 7 Baylor, 8 p.m.

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