Spring Break
Eye on the prize
Texas A&M has sights set on Aggie Soccer Complex for NCAA's
By: Jack Moore
Issue date: 8/24/05 Section: Sports
 Cameron O´Connell - The Battalion Senior midfielder Laura Probst crosses the ball during the second half of the Aggies´ scrimmage against Southern Mississippi in front of senior midfielder Chelsey Brown, Friday at the Aggie Soccer Complex. A&M defeated Southern Mississippi Friday, 4-0. |
Coming off a 4-0 exhibition win against Southern Mississippi, the No. 6 Texas A&M soccer team begins the 2005 season with big expectations of another successful season.
Texas A&M soccer coach G Guerrieri defined a realistic goal as, "winning the national championship," and noted that, "if we're in the mix to win the Big 12 championship, then we're in the mix to win the national championship."
When Guerrieri was asked which game this season could be the toughest one, the veteran coach said, "Friday's."
The Aggies hope to be in that mix coming off an 18-6 record in 2004 having won the Big 12 title and advancing to the NCAA Championship tournament for the 10th straight year.
The squad looks to improve upon its 2004 season by playing in the NCAA College Cup on Dec. 2-4 in College Station.
A&M will be hosting the national title for the first time in school history at its facility and would love nothing more than to be there when the season winds down.
A&M returns 10 starters and 23 letterwinners with the addition of five highly touted recruits. The Aggies began practice on Aug. 10 with optimism and focus not seen in previous seasons.
"The most pleasant change between now and 365 days ago is the intensity in practice due to the maturity of the players," Guerrieri said. "This has made our practices much more realistic."
Guerrieri will expect a lot from standout players that include senior goalkeeper and co-captain Kati Jo Spisak, and last year's Big 12 Rookie of the year Ashlee Pistorius.
Both players already stepped into leadership roles in different ways, Spisak with her vocal enthusiasm on the field, and Pistorius with her quiet demeanor and aggressive play.
Spisak, commonly referred to as "KJ," seems fine with the expectations everyone has for this year's squad.
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