It is game No. 4 for the SEC season.
It's beyond time for the Aggies to break through after four consecutive losses.
On Friday evening, Texas A&M will hope to seize the full 90 minutes against No. 5 Tennessee as the Aggies search for an end to their current slide.
A&M (3-4-3, 0-3-0) will face Tennessee (8-1-1, 2-1-0) at Regal Soccer Stadium in Knoxville at 6 p.m. CT.
"Tennessee was No. 1 in the nation until they lost to Mississippi State," A&M head coach G Guerrieri told TexAgs Live on Tuesday. "Their top scorers are down due to injuries."
With their first three SEC games resulting in strenuous losses, Guerrieri & Co. have been consistently hopeful for a change in the outcomes.
Most recently, No. 10 Arkansas came out triumphant over Texas A&M in College Station on Sunday, 1-0.
That loss represented a fourth shutout in their last five matches as the Maroon & White have yet to score in a conference game.
The Ags left Ellis Field with a loss but with a drive to move forward.
"We're not used to being in the bottom half, but that said, with one win, we jump eight teams in the standings, and we put ourselves back in the mix," Guerrieri said. "Well, that's what this game in Knoxville has."
The Maroon & White are a third of the way through the SEC gauntlet, and it continues to be rigorous.
Friday will be a fierce match as the Aggies look to cause disarray to the home crowd.
"This is not a team of quitters, but a team of high-character individuals who work hard to get it done," Guerrieri said. "We have to keep plugging away, make some adjustments to the way that we balance and technically go through things."
Tennessee's lineup features a former Aggie and an overall "younger" squad from redshirt junior transfer Shae O'Rourke to sophomore Anaiyah Robinson, who has scored twice on six shots.
Likewise, the Ags also feature a plethora of talent.
Nevertheless, Guerrrieri's squad has progressed since last year, with key players like Taylor Jernigan, Leah Pirro and Mia Scranton.
O'Rourke and Alivia Stott are Tennessee’s top goal scorers with five goals apiece. On the other side, Trinity Buchanan, Leah Diaz and Kaylee Noble register as A&M’s top scorers with three each.
On defense, Tennessee has conceded just four goals on 92 shots through 10 matches.
While A&M has allowed 11 goals on 105 shots, sophomore goalkeeper Maysen Veronda has 12 total saves through just three appearances.
Indeed, something will need to change as the Aggies make their way to the Volunteer State.
