G Guerrieri previews Aggie soccer's season-opener at Lamar

Aggie Soccer is BACK! Following exhibition wins over Rice and SMU, Texas A&M travels to Lamar to open up its 2024 campaign. Head coach G Guerrieri joined Wednesday's edition of TexAgs Radio to preview his team's first match of the season. 

Key notes from G Guerrieri interview

• Well so far, so good. With tomorrow’s match, it will be the first official regular season game of the new sports calendar for Texas A&M, so we are excited to get it going. We have already played two preseason matches. Rice at home in that abbreviated game, 1-0, and then we beat SMU, 1-0, as well.
   
• Going over to Lamar next. We will be playing Nathan Kogut, who was a former assistant of ours. We are hoping that we are not going to stumble into a snake pit, because they are a talented team. We feel like we are ready to go. We have 10 starters from last year, and there is a lot of excitement around the team for a big season.
   
• I think we were No. 2 in the country in shots created last year, which was pretty phenomenal. We created a number of chances, but just didn’t have that “oomph.” We brought in a couple of special players that can knock it in.
   
• Allison Lowrey from Rutgers, a fifth-year senior, is a good marksman in front of goal who will help us out. Jazmine Wilkinson was our leading scorer last year, and she’s back. Kennedy Clark, a sophomore from Xavier, had a great year last year with them. Leah Pirro came over from Grand Canyon, and she is another one that is really solid in front of goal.
   
• The whole team is older and, hopefully, a year wiser. I think a lot of that experience is going to come into play in how we are going to open people up a little more to give us a better chance at finishing those opportunities we make.
   
• It was really important to get everything back because of timing, relationships, and just getting everybody on the same page. I think the portal at the end of the fall is where the most talent is. There’s not that much movement in the spring. The biggest impact players make their moves at the end of the semester.
   
• Shae O’Rourke, who was one of the biggest transfers in the country, unfortunately, injured her ACL in the second half of our last spring game. She’ll be back next season, but she was one we were really excited about.
   
• MaKhiya McDonald is still really fast. I think the thing that helps her out is her pace and her intelligence. Being able to recognize that she needs to maintain that flame over a longer period. Knowing what you have to do from a nutrition and day-to-day standpoint to maintain that edge is super important. She is going to be on everybody’s scouting report. 
   
• Our opponents are going to see Mia Pante on one side with MaKhiya on the other side. Then when we rest them, Kate Colvin is another one of those players that can step in. Those three are a triple-edged sword. For MaKhiya and the other two, the question is going to be if they can keep that edge the entire time. We’re looking to see if one of those three can score every game. If that’s the case, we are in really, really good shape.
   
• Our backline is probably the soul of our whole team. It is what we base everything off of. Our two center backs, Margo Matula, an All-SEC player, and Carolyn Calzada are back there as well. She is smart and a great leader on the field. In front of them is Andersen Williams, who does a great job. We really can shut people down, and then get in transition.
   
• I think people realized that whenever they attacked us, they recognized that we were probably the best team in transition in the country. We were from defense to attack, and we built so much around them. The only position we really had to replace was our goalkeeper. We have started two freshmen so far, and we have a sixth-year senior as well.
   
• We have one more session today before we take off, so we will see who plays tomorrow. Maysen Veronda has been really solid. Grace McClellan has also been doing a wonderful job. Then we have Sydney Fuller, who is our really tall and physical player. 
   
• Lamar was the Southland Champions last year. The way the NCAA Tournament is determined is pretty much in wins. Lamar is one of those quality opponents, where you get more points for winning, especially being on the road. They are very organized in their play, and they are very good on the break. They have a good attacking midfielder, so we need to keep an eye on her.
   
• They lost some key players in their striker and their goalkeeper. We know we are going to be up for the match, and it is going to be a tight game.
   
• You can catch the game on the 12th Man app, or at 12thMan.com. It is tomorrow night at 7 p.m. We will open our home schedule a week from tonight against the University of Denver.