It’s the SEC opener.
It’s also a chance for Texas A&M to enact revenge for last season's 1-0 loss in the SEC Tournament.
On Friday, the Aggies will fight for 90 minutes against No. 24 Georgia for the first time since the Bulldogs ended A&M’s 2024 campaign.
The Maroon & White (3-1-3) will face the Bulldogs (4-2-2) at Ellis Field in College Station with a different mentality as kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT.
"Georgia comes in, they've been one of the top teams in the country and already beat North Carolina," A&M head coach G Guerrieri said on Monday. "Really well-coached team. (Keidane McAlpine) has done really well with bringing in some really good players."
For much of the non-conference schedule, Guerrieri & Co. have shown plenty of positives, with a fiery start to the preseason as they outscored opponents 12-4 en route to a 3-0-3 record.
But Sunday put an end to their unbeaten run as No. 4 TCU defeated A&M in Fort Worth, 2-1.
The Aggies left Garvey-Rosenthal Stadium with a loss but a sense of moving forward.
"We'll get better," Guerrieri said then. “We'll be ready to start the SEC season next week.”
Tomorrow, the Aggies will begin that season, and it will be tough.
Friday's match will be action-packed as the 24th-ranked Bulldogs arrive with an experienced squad.
"That's who we were eliminated by last year in the SEC Tournament and a really close hard fought 1-0 game in Pensacola," Guerrieri said. "It will be nice for them to be on our field and nice for us to get back home after being on the road the last two games."
Georgia’s lineup is composed of veterans and talented youngsters, from junior midfielder/defender Kiera Staude and senior midfielder Juliauna Hayward to freshman keeper Hannah Folliard, who has started all eight matches.
Similarly, A&M’s roster features plenty of collegiate experience, but many of the Aggies have yet to play an SEC match.
However, Guerrier’s team appears to have a stronger midfield than a year ago as Leah Pirro, Kat Campbell and Trinity Buchanan typically make up the middle of A&M’s shape.
Consistency throughout the whole pitch will be a necessity to the Maroon & White regaining the momentum as league play gets underway.
Summer Denigan enters Friday with six goals of Georgia’s 13 goals. On the other hand, the Ags have also scored a baker’s dozen with a mixture of goals from Leah Diaz (3), Buchanan (3), Kaylee Noble (3) and others.
Between the two teams, the Bulldogs excel in the goals allowed in the season and goal percentage, conceding just four for an average of 0.50 goals against per match.
Meanwhile, A&M has allowed six goals total across its seven non-conference matches, but starting goalkeeper Sydney Fuller’s goals-against-average sits at 1.00 across five appearances.
Further, SEC soccer has become just like every other sport in that many of the league’s teams are ranked, and every match is a battle.
"Our next five to six matches are going to be murderer's row, just because you have one ranked team after another," Guerrieri said. "Now the two of us are near the bottom of the league in fouls committed, and for the neutral fan, it makes for an attractive game because the game will be played without hair pulling, scratching, or poking of eyes.”
Get ready for a battle between A&M’s underdogs and a pack of visiting Dawgs.
