MATCH #13: No. 1 Texas Longhorns (9-1-2, 2-0-1 Big 12) at Texas A&M Aggies (9-2-1, 3-1 Big 12)
When: Friday, Oct. 12, 2007 at 7:30 p.m. CT
Where: College Station, Texas (Aggie Soccer Stadium; 3,000 capacity)
SERIES INFO
All-time Series Record: Texas A&M leads the series 14-3-0.
First Meeting: Texas lost 2-1 on Sept. 25, 1994 in College Station, Texas.
Last Meeting: Texas won 1-0 on Oct. 27, 2006 in Austin, Texas.
Last Texas A&M Victory: Texas A&M won 3-0 on Nov. 7, 2004 in San Antonio, Texas.
Current Streak: Texas has won the last two outings.
Petrucelli vs. TAMU: Petrucelli is 3-7-0 against the Aggies.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets are $7 for general admission, $4 for youth and $9 for reserved seating. They can be purchased prior to Friday, Oct. 12 by calling (979) 845-2311 or 1-888-99-AGGIE. Entry is also available on game day at the gates, one hour prior to the 7:30 p.m. CT match start time.
MATCH #14: No. 1 Texas Longhorns (9-1-2, 2-0-1 Big 12) at Baylor Bears (6-5-2, 0-3-1 Big 12)
When: Sunday, Oct. 14, 2007 at 7 p.m. CT
Where: Waco, Texas (Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field; 3,000 capacity)
SERIES INFO
All-time Series Record: Texas leads the series 7-5-1.
First Meeting: Texas lost 4-2 on Oct. 11, 1996 in Austin, Texas.
Last Meeting: Texas won 2-1 on Sept. 24, 2006 in Waco, Texas
Last Baylor Victory: Baylor won 2-1 in overtime on Sept. 26, 2004 in Waco, Texas
Current Streak: Texas has won the last two outings.
Petrucelli vs. BU: Petrucelli is 7-2-0 against the Bears.
LONGHORNS UPDATE
Lone Star Weekend
Texas (9-1-2, 2-0-1 Big 12) enters this weekend's matches ranked No. 1 in a national poll for the first time in school history. UT has won nine of its 12 matches this year and carries an eight-match unbeaten streak. On Friday, Oct. 12, the Longhorns face No. 5 Texas A&M in the State Farm Lone Star Showdown in College Station at 7:30 p.m. CT. Sunday's contest takes place at Baylor in Waco at 7 p.m. (CT).
The Aggies (9-2-1, 3-1-0 Big 12) have won six of its last seven contests while Baylor (6-5-2, 0-3-1) is looking for its first win in conference play this year.
Texas Soccer Earns First No. 1 Ranking
Less than a week after earning its highest national ranking at No. 2 in Soccer America magazine national poll, the Longhorns topped that with their first No. 1 ranking in program history. It marked the highest of any national weekly poll in its 14-year program history. Prior to the start of the season, UT's highest overall ranking was No. 3 -- on Oct. 8, 2002 by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas poll and again on Oct. 22, 2002 by both Soccer America and SoccerBuzz magazines.
UT is third in the SoccerTimes.com weekly poll, fourth in NSCAA/adidas and polls and seventh in the online edition of SoccerBuzz.
State Farm Lone Star Showdown Series
Texas A&M leads the all-time series 14-3-0 since the two teams first met on Sept. 25, 1994 (UT lost 2-1 in College Station). The Longhorns have won the last two consecutive meetings (a first in UT history) and three of the last five games between the two programs. All three wins have come under current head coach Chris Petrucelli and during the month of October. UT is looking for its first win at Aggie Soccer Stadium.
In 2006, No. 9 Texas upset No. 5 Texas A&M, 1-0, in front of the third largest home crowd in Longhorn history on Oct. 27. Then-sophomore defender Kasey Moore (Mission Viejo, Calif.) headed in the game-winning goal in the 72nd minute of the match to give UT the lead and eventually the win. The victory marked the end of the regular season and also set a school record with 15 regular season wins.
In 2005, UT again knocked off a ranked opponent, as goals by Moore and then-sophomore Caitlin Kennedy (Euless, Texas) fueled a 2-1 win over No. 13 Texas A&M in Austin.
Horns Drive I-35 For Sunday Match
The Longhorns are 7-5-1 in the series against the Bears. UT has won the six of the last seven outings and outscored BU 17-5 in that stretch. The first meeting in the series was a 4-2 UT loss in Austin on Oct. 11, 1996. Since that meeting, the Longhorns have managed seven wins including three in Waco. The last time UT and BU met was a 2-1 Texas win on Sept. 24, 2006 in Waco.
Weekend Recap
On the heels of the highest ranking in school history, the second-ranked Texas Longhorns Soccer team received a test on the road from Big 12 standings leader Iowa State. The Horns and Cyclones fought through two overtime periods before ending in a 1-1 tie. UT returned to Austin to complete the home-and-away weekend against Nebraska. The Longhorns again went to overtime but took only 42 seconds to take the win in the 2-1 over visiting Nebraska. Junior midfielder Courtney Gaines (Sugar Land, Texas) scored a goal in each game, bending a corner kick into the nets at ISU to tie the match at one apiece. She scored the team's first golden goal of the year, chipping in a rebound by freshman Niki Arlitt, less than a minute into the first overtime session.
Texas Begins Big 12 Season On High Note
The Longhorns are among the top three teams in the Big 12 this season. UT is tied for third with Iowa State with seven points (Missouri and Texas A&M lead the conference with nine points). The Longhorns have the highest overall winning percentage (.833) and the least number of losses of any team (one) in the conference.
Individually, freshman Niki Arlitt (Houston, Texas) is second in points-per-game (2.22) and goals-per-game (0.89), third in goals (8) and fourth in points scored (20) in the Big 12Š Carpenter is first in the league in shots taken (61)Š UT goalkeeper Dianna Pfenninger has the second lowest goals-against average in the Big 12 (0.74).
Gaines Filling In Where Needed
Gaines, a transfer from the University of Houston, is fitting in as the Longhorns' utility person. She is fourth on the team in scoring with 10 points and one of a quartet of Longhorns that have reached double-digit point totals. Gaines has three goals this year, including the pair scored this past weekend, and is tied for first on the team with four assists (with three other Longhorns). She had a multi-assist night in the 4-0 win over UTSA, helping three different UT players score goals.
Freshmen Find Success Early
Freshmen have made a major impact on this team. Four first-year Longhorns have scored a goal and an assist (Arlitt 8g/4a, Alisha Ortiz 1g/4a, Brooke Lee 2g/1a, Kirsten Birkhold 1g/1a). Arlitt is the team's 2007 leader in points (20) and goals (8) while Ortiz (Highland Village, Texas) is fifth with six points and sixth with one goal.
Six rookies have started at least four games with Erica Campanelli (Plano, Texas) starting all 12 matches at defender. Campanelli is fourth on the team in minutes played with 1,000 of 1,075 possible minutes. Arlitt has started eight of nine games, Ortiz has started 11 of 12 matches and Kendall Campise (Dallas, Texas) has started 10 of 12 games.
Records Watch
NSCAA All-American Kelsey Carpenter (Allen, Texas) is one game-winning goal shy of tying the UT school record of 13, held by Kelly McDonald (2001-04) and Kelly Wilson (2001-04)Š Arlitt is more than halfway to breaking the freshman goal-scoring record of 13 set by Kelly Wilson in 2001. Arlitt, who leads the team in scoring with 20 points, has a season-best eight goals in just seven matches this year.
UT junior goalkeeper Dianna Pfenninger (Sugar Land, Texas) continues to rise in the school record books. She continues to add to her school-record 34 career wins. Additionally, the 2006 Big 12 Soccer Tournament Defensive MVP moved into third-place all-time in career minutes played, during the Texas Tech match (Sept. 30). She as she stands at 4733 minutes on the career minutes list, which is 468 shy of second-place, held by Cami Varnadore (5,201 minutes). Pfenninger is actively climbing the all-time saves list as she has 180 to her credit since her first start on Sept. 25, 2005.
Texas Defense
The Longhorns' defense is stingy this year, giving up a modest nine goals in 12 matches this year. The Texas defense suppressed its opposition through the opening part of the season, holding 10 teams to one goal or less, and recording five shutouts. UT carries a 0.75 goals-allowed average, which is slightly lower than the UT school record of 0.77 from 2006. The Horns have held their opponents to 81 overall shots, an average of 11.5 per match. With seven more matches in the regular season and at least one in the Big 12 and NCAAs, the Longhorns could still shatter the single season record of 18 goals allowed in a season (set by the 2002 squad).
Texas Offense
While the defense is keeping teams out of the UT nets, the offense is equally as aggressive getting past the opposing defense. The Longhorns have scored 28 goals in 1,075 minutes this season (a goal every 38 minutes). The offense is extremely aggressive in shots, taking 261 overall and putting 111 on frame. Nine Longhorns have at least one goal this year, 12 have been credited with an assist, and 13 have scored at least one point in 2007. Four Longhorns Arlitt, Carpenter, Gaines and Moore -- are in double-digit point totals. Arlitt and Carpenter have two multi-goal matches each and Gaines has a multi-assist match.
Roster Full Of Game-Winners
Texas has more than one option when the game is on the line. Eight members of the 2007 roster have at least one game-winning goal (GWG) to their credit. Carpenter, who has one game-winning goal this season, leads the way as the single season GWG record holder with eight in 2006. She is also one shy of the Longhorns' career record of 13 as she has 12 in her time on the Forty Acres. Kennedy and Moore have four in their careers, with Kennedy's latest coming in the 1-0 decision over Texas Tech on Sept. 30, and both are one shy of UT's career top 10 list. Arlitt is the top game-winning goal scorer this year with a team-leading three GWGs in just seven matches played. Gaines became just the third newcomer this year, joining Arlitt and Brooke Lee (Mesquite, Texas), to net a GWG.
Horns Continue To Unbeaten Streaks
The Longhorns have two winning streaks and one unbeaten stretch this season. The first span of consecutive games won started with a 3-1 win over TCU on Aug. 31 and ended after a 1-0 road win at Arizona State on Sept. 7. Texas' second and longest winning streak of the season was four straight victories, beginning with a 4-0 win over Houston on Sept. 21. A 1-1 tie at Iowa State on Oct. 5 snapped the win streak but the Longhorns unbeaten streak of eight continues entering this weekend's matches.
All-Americans Boost Offense For Texas
All-Americans Kelsey Carpenter and Kasey Moore have combined to score 11 of UT's 28 goals this year. Carpenter is second on the team in goals with six in 12 matches while Moore is third with five in just as many games. Carpenter and Moore are two of four Longhorns in double-digits in points this season as Carpenter has 20 and Moore has 11.
Next Up: Nationally-ranked Missouri and Kansas Come To Austin The Longhorns return home to face nationally-ranked Missouri on Friday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. CT followed by a Sunday, Oct. 21 match against Kansas at 1 p.m. CT. Both matches take place at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin.
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