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Beth West & The Aggies Hope To Down Future Conference Rivals LSU in Aggieland

(3) Texas A&M; (15-5-2, 6-1-1, 2nd Big XII) vs LSU (13-7-1, 8-3-0, 2nd SEC)

When – Friday, November 11, 7:30 PM EST

Where – Ellis Field, College Station, Texas

Quick Reaction – Somebody on the selection committee sure doesn’t like LSU.

Texas A&M; Thus Far – It was less than a brilliant start for Texas A&M; who lost three of their first four despite playing well in just about every match. There’d be further pain on a road trip to Durham where the Aggies were hit for seven (Seven!) goals by Duke in a shocking 7-2 defeat. It’d be a turning point for A&M; who promptly came back and battled back from a 3-1 deficit with twenty minutes to play to win in extra time over North Carolina, 4-3. The Aggies would then go on to put up some crazy offensive numbers against overmatched foes including the now infamous 13-1 drubbing of Fordham. In Big XII play, A&M; would again be among the class of the field, but a slip to Missouri spelled the end of their title hopes in the end. There’d be redemption in the conference tournament though. The Aggies would mount a stunning comeback against Kansas before prevailing on penalties before avenging the earlier defeat to Missouri with a semi-final win. Megan Majewski then went on to score the last goal for A&M; in Big XII competition, firing home with just seconds left against Oklahoma State as the Aggies lifted the Big XII Tournament title and sealed a national seed, though not a top two seed, much to their chagrin.

LSU Thus Far – With construction delays on their newly renovated stadium forcing the Tigers to begin 2011 with a five game road stretch, LSU understandably began a little slowly. A loss to Memphis was somewhat understandable, but defeats to NC State and Rice raised some red flags early on. Getting back on the Bayou would be the perfect salve for the Tigers’ wounds though, and LSU promptly went 7-0-1 over an eight match homestand that included a draw with Pepperdine that looks very impressive in retrospect. With four wins in four, LSU looked like league title contenders, but a stretch of just two wins in five brought them back towards the pack. Particularly dismaying was a 4-1 loss at home to South Carolina that did major damage to their title hopes. They’d recover with a shocking win on the road over Florida, dealing the Gators their first home loss in SEC play in half a decade. A functional win over Arkansas ensured LSU would finish second in the league. That did them little good in the SEC Tournament though, as they were humbled by Auburn at the first hurdle, the second time they had lost to the Tigers this season.

Who to Watch

Texas A&M;

Kelley Monogue (F) – Something like a phenomenon in her first season in College Station. Eight league goals and eighteen overall with nine assists in brilliant rookie campaign.
Rachel Lenz (D) – Strong sophomore already well on her way to becoming one of best defenders in A&M; history.
Merritt Mathias (M) – Looks infinitely more comfortable in second year in College Station with less onus on her for offense.
Beth West (M) – Keeping her healthy has been key in midfield. Leads team with eleven assists.

LSU

Allysha Chapman (M) – 2011 SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year patrols the midfield tenaciously and could have a future internationally with Canadian WNT.
Taryne Boudreau (M) – A center-back last year, Canadian has become team’s unlikely top scoring option with three times as many goals as next Tiger.
Natalie Martineau (M) – Versatile attacker’s another in LSU’s Canadian legion and leads team with ten assists.
Jodi Calloway (D) – Back from injury last season to take her place as one of top SEC defenders. Needless to say, she’ll be busy on Friday.

Best WPS Prospect – Monogue still has a lot of college games left to play but has shown plenty of signs of brilliance thus far as a rookie.

Palatable? – One way or another, Texas A&M; has been one of the most consistently exciting teams to follow this season. They aren’t getting a pushover either, meaning this could be one of the first round matches to keep a close eye on.

Famous Last Words – A&M; figures to be vulnerable to teams with a lot of tournament experience who aren’t going to be frazzled by one of the most intimidating home field advantages in college soccer. That’s not LSU, who’re making their return to the tournament after a one-year absence. The Tigers’ midfield will have to dominate if they’re to stand a chance, as A&M; outclasses them at every other position on the pitch by a fair margin. It’s a tougher matchup than the Aggies probably would like (or deserve), but LSU doesn’t figure to be able to stop the A&M; arsenal for ninety (or more) minutes and will probably have trouble digging themselves out of any hole.

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