The roster is comprised of new faces.
Yet the foe is familiar.
Texas A&M's 2025 soccer campaign begins by renewing the Battle of the Brazos with Brazos on Thursday night. Kickoff at Ellis Field is set for 7:30 p.m. CT.
"Baylor has been a long-time rival," head coach G Guerrieri said earlier this week. "There is familiarity, but with that, we haven't been successful against them recently."
A&M is 24-7-1 all-time in season-openers, and the Aggies are 14-5-3 all-time vs. the Bears.
However, the 2025 A&M squad looks different from those in recent memory.
Eight Aggies graduated or began professional careers, while seven more from the 2024 team transferred out of A&M.
As a response, Guerrieri welcomed 10 transfer portal players and five true freshmen into the program this offseason. A retooled roster will hopefully allow the Maroon & White to improve on last year's 8-9-2 overall record, as A&M missed the NCAA Tournament for just the second time since 1995.
"The good news for us is, even with the transition that we've had, the majority of the team started working on our culture and how we were going to play starting last January," Guerrieri said. "We're now kind of starting month eight with this particular group."
Goalkeeper Sydney Fuller headlines the group of returners that also includes forward Taylor Jernigan, midfielder Leah Pirro and defender Bella James, among others.
The portal additions carry accolades such as All-AAC second-teamer Leah Diaz (Tulsa), Southland Conference Goalkeeper of the Year Erica Defferding (Incarnate Word) and Big West first-teamer Kaylee Noble (Cal State Fullerton).
That's not to mention speedy winger Savannah Hutchins (NC State), U.S. Soccer College Talent ID Camp invitee Trinity Buchanan (UNLV) and defender Hattie Patterson, who played 36 matches for SEC side Ole Miss across the previous two seasons.
"It brings people who are looking for an opportunity to be at Texas A&M," Guerrieri said. "We've had, in this particular cycle, a lot of great players who were looking for the opportunity to level up.
"Our team, definitely, is different. There are a lot of people who are predicting our demise because players who helped us finish to 10th last year aren't with us. Well, we don't want to finish 10th. We want to finish first. That's where this program has been so many times."
In 2024, the Aggies stumbled to a sub-.500 season, both overall and in conference (3-5-2). The non-conference slate included a 1-0 defeat in Waco, decided on Tyler Isgrig's 85th-minute decider.
Isgrig, Baylor's only All-Big 12 preseason selection, is back in green and gold, but the Bears were picked to finish 10th in their league and begin 2025 unranked.
"We have an overwhelming advantage in wins and losses over time, but last year, we lost to them 1-0," Guerrieri lamented. "The year before that, they came in, they were able to get a 1-1 tie with us here at Ellis Field. That's extra motivation for us, but it's also a good, solid Power Four team that's going to have a really good season."
The Bears certainly represent a step up in competition from A&M's preseason slate.
In fall exhibition wins over Rice and UTRGV, the Aggies outscored their opponents 8-1.
Indeed, Thursday's Battle of the Brazos will be a litmus test of sorts for Guerrieri's 33rd A&M squad.
"We've got to be a little bit quicker," he said. "It's going to be a step up going and playing the game against Baylor, and then the following game on Sunday against Lamar is going to be a very organized opponent.
"We're going to have to be prepared to really move the ball quickly and be able to play on the run a lot more than we were in those first two preseason games."
