Guerrieri previews the stakes of Sunday's regular season finale vs. Kentucky

Key notes from G Guerrieri interview

• It was a good week. We had so many close games. We had a lot of one-goal decisions, one way or another. Going into last week, we knew that we were going to play against two teams that were really good defensively. It was going to be another tight game, and it proved to be that way.
   
• We scored pretty early on a great goal by Kaylee Noble to go up on Missouri on Thursday. They’re gifted a penalty kick and stopped the clock with two seconds on the clock. They get the penalty kick. That takes a little bit of wind out of our sails because we were in firm control of the match. A little slow in the second half. We were trying to shake that off, but then our players really came out and did great.
   
• Maysen Veronda in goal was terrific again. 2-1 win on that, but you go on the road to South Carolina. Really, the first half, the No. 8 team in the country was not the better team on the field. The Aggies were really, really good. Second half, they made some adjustments and threw some numbers forward, but it was a good performance from our defensive unit. Hayden Wilson, who has been injured all season, came in. It was a good all-around effort. Got another draw out of it. Four points on the week, so now we are in striking distance for both the SEC Tournament but also the NCAA Tournament. It’s all to play for this week.
   
• The good thing is that the team has improved every single week, and that is even by losing players. Like I said, this is a team with 11 new starters. For those who don’t know, soccer is an 11-person sport, so all of our starters are new from last year. You take away four or five out of the equation, but the team has improved. My coaching staff has done a wonderful job of having the players prepared. What we try to do is, like Coach Elko has said, you have to break old habits. You've got to get people to understand these are the parameters that we need to play because this is the best way to get to our potential. It means what you did as a youth player clearly ain’t going to work for this.
   
• We have to be structured. Our players have done a good job. Trinity Buchanan, our leading scorer, has been phenomenal. Same thing with Bella Yakel, our captain, has been absolutely outstanding. Those two have been great. Bella James was injured and came back and played 90 minutes on Sunday.
   
• The chemistry often has to start in the building. The chemistry of the coaching staff has been good. Alyssa and Seth have been so focused on the attack. Tim Strader has been a good addition to the team. Our captains, Leah Diaz and Yakel, have done a good job. Our returners, the Aggies who know about Texas A&M, it’s been neat how it goes. The cool thing is that we’re going to have three seniors who will celebrate this Sunday.
   
• I am excited for the players. It’s a playoff game. We have to win. Use these scars. A big part is what the 12th Man does. It’s sports. We are not the favorite on Sunday.
   
• It’s the national TV game kickoffs at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. Come on out. If it rains on Saturday, hopefully it’s going to be nice on Sunday. Last chance to see the Aggies at home this season. If we win, that will put us at 11 points. That is usually the magic number. Can LSU win that game for us? We need to be LSU supporters. Suppose we have a three-team tiebreaker. We've got to win.