The No. 10 Texas A&M Aggies will commute to Nashville, Tenn., at 6 p.m. Friday to face the Vanderbilt Commodores.
After narrowly escaping Kentucky 2-1 in the final minute Sunday, the Aggies (10-2-1, 4-1 SEC) face another conference foe.
A&M has found success against the Commodores since joining the conference, chalking up victories of 4-0 in 2012 and 3-0 in 2013.
In the 2013 matchup, Allie Bailey, Shea Groom and Bianca Brinson each scored a goal in the Aggies win. All three returned to the squad in 2014.
“The success we have had has come down to finishing off our scoring chances,” Texas A&M coach G Guerreri said. “In both of the other games against them, we scored early and really got on a roll. So that will clearly be one of the goals we have in this match.”
Senior midfielder Shea Groom is tied for seventh in the nation in goals this season, leading the Aggies with 11. Fellow senior midfielder Kelley Monogue is second on the team with eight scores.
The Commodores (5-7-1, 0-2-1 SEC) have been a first-half team, dominating their opponents 11-1 in the first 45 minutes of their contests. However, they have been outscored 14-3 in the second half.
Vanderbilt has just one loss at home this season, while the Aggies only away loss came against Arizona State on Sept. 7.
Vanderbilt freshman goalkeeper Christiana Ogunsami holds a .812 save percentage this season. The high school phenom recorded 137 saves her senior year and already has 69 thus far.
“They have a new goalkeeper and much-improved defense, so we will need quality in our attack to beat them,” Guerreri said.
The Aggies have firepower to combat Vandy’s freshman sensation. They are tied for 20th in the nation in goals, averaging 2.38 a match.
The Commodores enter Friday’s match on a three-game losing skid. Like the Aggies, they will have a week’s rest before their next match.
“The key for this game is to establish ourselves in attack, scoring and getting them to chase us,” Guerreri said.
A&M will return Oct. 17 to Ellis Field to play the Auburn Tigers.