The No. 5 Texas A&M soccer team takes on the Arizona Wildcats at Ellis Field Friday night for a chance to advance to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.
The second-round matchup provides an opportunity for A&M to advance to the round of 16 for the third consecutive season. The Aggies are undefeated in their last 11 matches including a 5-0 shutout of Houston Baptist on Nov. 14 to open tournament play.
A&M tied 2-2 with Arizona (11-7-2) when the teams squared off for the first time this year in early September. Senior Bianca Brinson scored goals toward the end of both halves, including a second-half goal with roughly 30 seconds remaining to even the score.
Gabby Kaufman will be in goal for the Wildcats after registering 11 saves on 13 shots against the Aggies during their first matchup. For the season, Kaufman is allowing 1.27 goals per contest and has recorded seven shutouts.
Gabi Stoian leads Arizona offensively with 13 goals and seven assists, scoring a goal against the Aggies in September. Alexandra Doller ranks second offensively for the Wildcats with seven goals and two assists.
Arizona finished ninth in a deep Pac-12, but was able to claim an at-large bid into the field of 64. It is the Wildcats’ third appearance in the NCAA tournament overall and their first since a Sweet 16 run in 2006.
A&M will appear in the second round of the NCAA tournament for the 17th consecutive time. A victory will give the team their 13th Sweet 16 appearance since 1999, fifth-most in the nation during that span.
After her return from injury earlier in the year, senior goalie Jordan Day has split time in the net with fellow senior Renee McDermott. The Aggies’ match against Houston Baptist saw both Day and McDermott in goal as well as the first career appearance of redshirt freshman Taylor Saucier. A&M’s keepers are on a four-match shutout streak.
A&M is 19-2-2 on the year, one shy of tying the school record of 20 wins set in 2002.
Senior Kelley Monogue holds a narrow edge as the team leader for points with 36, trailed closely by Shea Groom with 35. Both Monogue and Groom are members of the 40-20 club in their career. Monogue checks in with 48 goals and 24 assists while Groom sits at 40 and 23, respectively. Of the nine active players in the 40-20 club, only A&M has more than one on its roster.
Also featured at Ellis Field on Friday, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish take on the Texas Longhorns. The winner of that contest will face the winner of A&M-Arizona at 1:30 p.m. Sunday.