Conference play continues with a top-10 matchup Friday as the No. 9 Texas A&M Aggies take on the No. 6 Florida Gators at Ellis Field.
The 7 p.m. matchup features two teams with undefeated records in SEC play. The Gators (8-2-0) are off to a hot start with Savannah Jordan leading the way. She has seven goals on the season and on Monday was named SEC Offensive Soccer Player of the Week.
A&M head coach G Guerrieri said his players are ready for the challenge.
“Before the season, we knew it was going to be one of the biggest tests,” Guerrieri said. “They were co-champions of the SEC last year, so if you count that, they are our seventh conference champion that we’ve played against this year. We know a lot about them, they know a lot about us. We split games last year. They returned 11 starters and we returned 10 starters. It has all the makings of what should be a fantastic game.”
The Gators have registered wins against two ranked opponents this year, including a 2-1 victory against No. 2 Florida State. They average 2.3 goals per game, shy of A&M’s 2.64 mark. Their last game was a 3-1 victory against the Missouri Tigers.
“Florida does a really good job of getting people out of their comfort zone,” Guerrieri said. “They play at a different tempo and mindset than all of the other teams in the conference. We still have to be the very best at being us while keeping our concentration on what they are doing. They are crafty, smart and very talented. The mental side of our game will be of paramount importance.”
The Aggies (9-1-1) suffered a 2-0 defeat in Gainesville last year before claiming revenge with a 2-1 victory in last year’s SEC tournament. Guerrieri said the teams are familiar with each other thanks to a combination of returning players as members of the coaching staffs.
Both Shea Groom and Kelley Monogue have eclipsed the 20-point benchmark on the season for Texas A&M. Groom has a team-leading 11 goals as well as two assists while Monogue checks in with eight goals and five assists on the year.
Friday is the start to a weekend of Aggie soccer at Ellis. The team will regroup for a 7-3-0 Kentucky Wildcat team led by Arin Gilliland and Jade Klump, both with five goals on the year. The matchup against Kentucky is set for 11 a.m. Sunday.
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