Oct. 29, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The No. 20 Texas A&M soccer team closes out the 2009 regular season against Texas Friday in the State Farm Lone Star Showdown at the Aggie Soccer Stadium. Seniors Cydne Currie and Emily Peterson will be honored prior to the 7 p.m. kickoff.
The Aggies (11-5-2, 5-2-2 Big 12) can clinch a second place seed in the Big 12 Tournament with a win against the Longhorns (8-7-2, 4-2-3 Big 12) Friday. UT is currently in a three-way tie for third with 15 points and A&M is second with 17 points.
Texas A&M is coming off of an undefeated weekend where it shutdown Colorado, 2-0, and played to a scoreless draw with Texas Tech to mark its eighth shutout of the season. Texas had similar outcomes against the same two teams, tying the Red Raiders, 2-2, and defeating the Buffaloes, 1-0, in double overtime.
The Aggies lead the all-time series 17-5-1 and won 14 straight games from 1993-2002. The Longhorns have taken four of the last six matches, but A&M is 8-1 at home against UT.
Tickets are available for purchase online at tickets.12thmanfoundation.com or by calling 1-888-99-AGGIE.
Fans can follow all the action of Friday's match with free live video, audio and live stats on AggieAthletics.com. The match will also be broadcast on KNDE-FM's HD3 channel, Play x REPlay (95.1-3 on the FM dial of an HD Radio), making it available worldwide on any iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry or PDA free of charge. Log on to radioaggieland.com for more information.
Parking is free and is available in the Reed Arena parking lots. For added convenience, there are now two entrances on the north end of the stadium.
PROMOTIONS
Aggie fans that wear a Halloween costume to the match Friday receive FREE general admission.
STATE FARM LONE STAR SHOWDOWN
Texas A&M took home the State Farm Lone Star Showdown trophy for the 2008-09 school year, but Texas currently holds a one-point lead after winning both volleyball matches this season. Aggie soccer could even the score with a win on Friday night. Each sport is worth one point towards the Rivalry Series championship. A total of 19 points can be won.
LAST TIME OUT
The Aggies scored two first half goals and held on for a 2-0 victory against Colorado last Friday. Junior Alyssa Mautz scored just 2:43 into the match with what would be the game-winning goal from 25 yards out into the upper-left 90. Sophomore Katie Hamilton put the Aggies up 2-0 in the 34th minute. On Sunday, A&M posted its eighth shutout and created numerous scoring opportunities in a 0-0 tie against Tech. The Aggies outshot the Red Raiders 35-14, including 10 shots on goal to just five from Tech. A&M also held the advantage in corner kicks and earned a season-high 16 to Texas Tech's five.
UP NEXT
A&M heads to the Blossom Soccer Stadium in San Antonio, Texas, on Wednesday for the single-elimination Big 12 Soccer Championship. Only the top eight teams in the conference qualify and A&M secured its 14th straight appearance. The Aggies, and UT, are the only two teams to advance to every postseason tournament since the league began in 1996. Matches run Wednesday, Nov. 4, Friday, Nov. 6 and Sunday, Nov. 8, with only the winner of each game advancing.
VOTE PETERSON FOR LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Senior Emily Peterson was selected as one of 10 finalists for the prestigious Lowe's Senior CLASS Award and is on a ballot for a nationwide vote concluding November 13. Fans can vote for Peterson daily by going to http://www.seniorclassaward.com/vote/womens_soccer_2009/ or by texting W9 to 74567.
These votes will be combined with votes from coaches and media to determine the recipient of the award.
LEADING THE WAY
Junior Rachel Shipley leads the Aggies with seven assists and 17 points. She is third on the team with five goals behind junior Whitney Hooper who has seven scores and sophomore Katie Hamilton with six goals. Junior goalkeepers Kristin Arnold and Kelly Dyer post a 1.13 goals against average and a .734 save percentage.
SHUTTING DOWN ITS OPPONENTS
This season, Texas A&M has totaled eight shutouts, already matching its season total from last year. It ranks the Aggies first with five Big 12 shutouts and second in the conference behind Oklahoma State who has posted 10 blanks overall.
SCOUTING TEXAS
The Longhorns moved into third place in the Big 12 last weekend and have the possibility of finishing second with a win against the Aggies. They are 2-2-1 in their last five matches and 1-3-1 on the road. UT is 1-1 against ranked opponents this season. The team is led by Kylie Doniak (5G, 2A) with 12 points. Hannah Higgins adds three goals and Niki Arlitt contributes three assists, while Alexa Gaul records a 1.07 goals against average and a .757 save percentage in between the posts. In his 11th season as head coach Chris Petrucelli owns a 142-71-21 record at UT.
VERSUS THE LONGHORNS
The Aggies lead the all-time series 17-5-1 and won 14 straight games from 1993-2002. The Longhorns have taken four of the last six matches, but A&M is 8-1 at home against UT. Last season in front of 5,585 fans in Austin, the two teams played to a scoreless tie. Dyer made a career-high eight saves in goal, while shots on goal were in favor of Texas, 8-7.
A&M AT HOME
The Aggies have fared well inside the comfortable confines of the Aggie Soccer Stadium. A&M is 7-1-2 at home, compared to 4-4 on the road. The Aggies' only home loss was against No. 18 Purdue, 3-2. In fact, only six teams have defeated Texas A&M at home since 2005 - Purdue, North Carolina, Missouri, Texas, Cal State Fullerton and Iowa State.
AGGIES LEADING THE NATION IN ATTENDANCE
A&M ranks second in the nation in average attendance this season. The Aggies are just one of two programs that average over 3,000 fans per game. A&M's crowd of 6,589 on Aug. 28 was the third-largest in program history. Here's the list: 1. Portland (3,558) 2. Texas A&M (3,093) 3. North Carolina (2,418) 4. BYU (2,252) 5. Georgia (1,591) 6. New Mexico (1,542) 7. Notre Dame (1,443) 8. Stanford (1,432) 9. Florida (1,342) 10. Colorado (1,283).
NCAA RPI
Texas A&M is ranked 23rd in the most recent rating percentage index (RPI) that was released Oct. 19 by the NCAA. The Aggies are the highest-ranked program in the Big 12 with Colorado being the next closest ranked 42nd.
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