Texas A&M Men’s Club Soccer is set to host the University of Texas on Friday, March 3, at Penberthy Rec Sports Complex. Friday’s match will kick off at 6 p.m. on Field 10; the match is free to attend.
The Aggies last faced the Longhorns during the fall season in Austin, resulting in a 1-1 draw. This is the second spring game scheduled after a successful fall season that included a national championship tournament appearance in Round Rock.
With the game on West campus, the club hopes to see a big crowd, graduate student Patrick Wood, who has played fullback on the team for six years, said.
“Our games become even more fun whenever we have more people out,” Wood said. “We want people to know there’s a men’s team here that’s actually playing at a high level.”
The maroon and white’s fall championship run ended in the round of 16 with a 3-0 loss to Illinois on Nov. 18, 2022.
The spring season is more relaxed for the club, accounting sophomore and left back Sebastian Jaramillo said. Games against UT always have a higher significance, he added.
“I know training is going to be super serious,” Jaramillo said. “It’s always a rivalry no matter if it’s a friendly, scrimmage or in the season. It’s going to be a good game.”
Industrial distribution sophomore and center back Julian Arai added that the spring season is also a time when the club can be “experimental.”
“There is no set roster,” Arai said. “People are going in and out of the team, depending on the week and who comes to practice.”
Wood said the rivalry game is especially significant since this is his last semester of graduate school.
“I’ve played Texas numerous times,” Wood said. “Every time you play them you want to beat them even more than the last time. For me, this will be my 11th or 12th time playing them, and I want to beat them more than ever.”
Follow Aggie men’s soccer @TAMUMensSoccer on Instagram or visit TAMUClubSoccer.com.
Eli Meschko is a university studies – liberal arts journalism junior and contributed this article from JOUR 359, Reporting Sports to The Battalion.