Aggies intent on playing to their strengths as SEC play kicks off
It’s that time of year again.
The Maroon & White is entering its conference slate, and excitement abounds.
After two road games against Central Connecticut State (W, 2-0 W) and UConn (L, 6-0), Texas A&M (5-3) travels to Missouri (2-4-1) for its Southeastern Conference opener Thursday.
The match kicks off at 6 p.m. CT and can be viewed on the SEC Network.
“The SEC has done really, really well in our non-conference portion across the league,” A&M head coach G Guerrieri said Monday. “Sixteen teams have the second-highest winning percentage against other conferences. We've won over 75 percent of our matches against the other conferences, which, of course, means (there will be many) opportunities for us to (optimize) our resume for the postseason.”
Heading into SEC play, the Aggies hope to improve on finishing, especially in the final 10 yards of their attacking areas.
They also hope to lean better into their strengths as players come off the bench from injuries and illnesses.
“We've had some injuries; we had some illness this past weekend that limited what we could do personnel-wise,” Guerrieri said. “We need to try to get those people back into commission so we can be at full force, but more than anything, from a tactical standpoint, we've identified the enemy, and the enemy is us.
“We've got to do just a better job of sticking with the gameplan that we talk about and doing the things that kind of fit into playing to our strengths, not avoiding the things that are necessary for us to win.”
The Tigers enter the match with a similar mindset, with both teams coming off tough losses.
Missouri previously fell 7-0 to Duke, and the Aggies were also shutout 6-0 at UConn.
“Missouri is a team that is athletic, is very well coached and a team that is coming in hungry after the end of non-con against Duke," Guerrieri said. “(We are) two teams that are very, very hungry.”
Boasting four members of the SEC Preseason Watchlist — midfielder Keegan Good, goalkeeper Bella Hollenbach, forward Kylee Simmons and graduate defender Rachel Kutella — the Tigers present a formidable challenge.
“Going into CoMo has been a difficult one for us over the past,” Guerrieri said. “It's never been easy. The last time we traveled up there was an interesting one … We needed a tie to advance to the postseason and the goals were taken away to make sure that we didn't get the tie. Our season ended while we were up there.”
Following Missouri, Guerrieri & Co. will turn it gold in their return to Ellis Field on Sunday against Oklahoma (7-1).
The match marks the first-ever SEC matchup against the Sooners.
“We have a pretty strong win total over them,” Guerrieri said. “Matt Mott, who is there now, is a colleague and a friend. He's somebody that is going to do whatever it takes to win. His style of his teams are looking at the strengths of the personnel that he has and playing a style that's not going to put those players in any kind of tactical jeopardy.
“His style is kind of no-nonsense, and they'll get after it.”
Sunday’s match starts at 2 p.m. CT. All proceeds will support the Turn It Gold Foundation and its mission to fight childhood cancer.
The Aggies will enter the pitch clad in gold and white uniforms in support of the foundation. Jerseys worn in-game will be available for purchase along with replicas sold throughout the match.
