Following an offensive showcase against Grambling State earlier in the week, Texas A&M soccer will travel to Houston in hopes of continuing its winning streak against Rice on Sunday, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m.
Heading into the contest, the Aggies sport a 6-1-0 record against the Owls, averaging 3.29 goals per game since the teams first met in 2002.
“We feel good — coming off of a multi-goal game obviously helps our confidence,” coach G Guerrieri said. “We needed to prove to ourselves that a lot of the goals that we knew we were capable of could actually happen.”
A win against Rice would allow A&M to return to the .500 mark while the team prepares for conference play, with its first SEC matchup against Kentucky on Sept. 15.
“This time of the year is preparation for the SEC portion of the season,” Guerrieri said. “We’re also looking for games that are going to be good representations when we’re being assessed for postseason play.”
The Owls hold a 2-4-1 record following a draw against Sam Houston State on Thursday night. Junior forward Ellen Halseth recorded her third assist during the game, leading her team with 9 points on the season.
“Rice has always been a team that is going to be at the top of their league, but they’ve had some unexpected troubles this season, which is a little uncharacteristic for them,” Guerrieri said. “We know that they’re going to be organized and it’ll probably be a tough game no matter what.”
In preparation for the match, junior defender Macy Matula said the Fightin’ Farmers have been working towards perfecting their play.
“We’ve been focusing on making sure that we’re not making any silly mistakes and finishing our shots on goal,” Matula said. “It’s about us rather than who we’re playing.”
Rather than studying their opponents’ weaknesses, Guerrieri said the Aggies have been improving on their own strengths.
“Every game is about us being the best part of us,” Guerrieri said.
The Aggies’ matchup against the Owls will begin at 7 p.m. at Holloway Field, where it is expected to be 94 degrees and sunny.
The match can be streamed live on ESPN+ and listened to on the 12th Man Mobile app, as well as Gospel 97.3 FM in Brazos Valley.
“Our confidence is high,” Matula said. “We’re just excited to play.”