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A&iM gearing up for big test
Third-ranked Soccer Team set to battle top-ranked Tarheels
NOTEBOOK
Stephen
Boudreau
Staff writer
W ith the Texas A&M Soccer Team
riding high on a perfect 8-0 record,
the pollsters are taking note of
their success as well. Following last weeks I -
0 victory over Nebraska, the Aggies have
made A&M soccer history by attaining their
highest ranking ever at number three.
Tarheel test
This Sunday the Aggies will face the top
ranked North Carolina Tarheels in one of
the biggest games of the year. North Car
olina has won nine out of the last ten na
tional championships and have defeated
the Aggies both times they met.
This year the Aggies are armed with the
talent and momentum that makes this the
best opportunity A&M has ever had to de
feat the mighty Tarheels.
The high profile showdown will be
played Sunday afternoon in Houston at
the Adidas Soccer Classic.
Full house
The 12th man is alive and well at the Ag
gie Soccer Complex. The complex has been
filling up in numbers that die team has nev
er seen before. This weekend close to 2,600
fans attended the Utah and Oregon games.
An average of 1,211 fans are attending
home matches, the best attendance ever for
Aggie soccer.
Big 12 player of the week
Still riding high on being named The
Battalion’s player of the week, Melanie
Wilson was distinguished even further by
being named the first ever Big 12 player of
the week. She received the honor for her
impressive shut out performances against
Iowa State and Nebraska.
The sophomore keeper has an amazing
25-4 career record, including 12 shut outs.
Wilson has allowed only three goals in 630
minutes this season and holds a perfect 8-0
record.
Soccer America Team of the Week
Last week’s victory over Nebraska
reaped yet another reward for the Aggies
when Junior Sharon Pickering, was
named to the Soccer America Women’s
Team of the Week. Pickering joined the 11-
person team for her game winning goal
against the then fourth-ranked Huskers.
One time is usually enough
In the 69 games in which A&M has
scored more than once, the Aggies hold
an astounding 65-3-1 record. The last
defeat in which A&M fell short when
scoring more than once was in the first
round of last season’s NCAA playoffs,
losing 5-3 to San Diego.
Player of the week
Without a doubt, Bryn Blalack has
earned her place among the nations best
players. This weekend Blalack never let the
team down. Against Utah, Blalack took con
trol of the game and put three balls past the
keeper. Sunday afternoon, against the
mighty Ducks of Oregon, Blalack broke out
for two more goals. Blalack tops the all-
time A&M goal scorers list with 70.
For her incredible play, Bryn Blalack
has received the ultimate honor any
Texas A&M soccer player could dream of
attaining and is being named this week’s
Battalion Player of the Week.
Hammer
Time
Fendley making
impact for Aggies
T <
l
DAVE HOUSE/The Battalion
Sophomore Ashley Fendley heads a ball
against the University of Nebraska. Fendley
has helped the A&M defense limit its oppo
nents to five goals this season.
By Margaux Harris .
StaffWriter
lenacity, hard-working and com
petitive are words teammate
and Coach G. Guerrieri use t
describe Ashley Fendley, defender o
the Texas A&M Soccer Team. Ifyomas
Fendley what she thinks her talent
are, she modestly gives her teammate
most of the credit.
“Everyone at this level is good, so
makes my job so much easier," sh
said.
Fendley began playing soccer t
the age of five. Now she is a major at
set to the Texas A&M Soccer team.
“Ashley is so competitive withi
herself that the hardest thing she ha
to endure was growth,” Guerrieri sak
Last year, Fendley played behin
two All-Conference seniors. Now sh
is a starter in her position and is only
sophomore. Guerrieri said that he
success is attributed to hard work an
an inner drive.
In high school, Fendley played fc
the state champion club team, th
Klein Challenge.
Please see Fendley on Page I
New Addition
Freshman Thrasher makes early jump look easy
Ni
DAVE HOUSE/The Battalion
Freshman Nikki Thrasher brings up the ball
against Oregon.
By Stephen Boudreau
Staff writer
' ikki Thrasher may seem like just an
other one of the nine May High
School graduates on the Texas A&M
Soccer Team Roster this fall, but she is not
your traditional freshman.
Thrasher took summer courses this past
summer and graduated from El Paso’s
Franklin High School a year early in order
to play for A&M.
“I don’t regret (leaving high school ear
ly) at all. I love it here,” Thrasher said. “It
was kind of scary though. I never came on
an official visit to Texas A&M or anything,
so I was coming in kind of blind.”
The freshman midfielder had been cor
responding with A&M coach G. Guerrieri
through letters during her junior year at
Franklin when the opportunity to join the
Aggies became a reality.
“(Coach) G. knew I wasn’t very happy
with high school ... I just wasn’t into it,”
Thrasher said. “An opportunity arose, so I
took a whole bunch of courses over the
summer and graduated.”
Inexperience is not a problem, though.
During her three years in high school
Thrasher scored a combined 89 goals and
tallied up the same number of assists. De
spite those impressive statistics, she re
mains humble.
“High school is a totally different game.
Just in order to put on the A&M jersey is an
honor,” she said. “It’s been a dream for me
since I was a little girl to play with a top 10
Division I team. For them to ask me to
come a year early was just awesome. I
can’t think of anything more incredible.”
Her teammates playfully nicknamed her,
“youngster”, but in reality do not treat her
any differently than the other girls.
“We call her ‘youngster’ and give her a
hard time about not having a drivers li
cense, but she gets around on her bike,”
senior midfielder Bryn Blalack said. “It’s all
in fun. She’s a great contributor on and off
the field.”
Thrasher said, “The team is awesome. I
don’t think they really think of me as a 17
year-old. Sometimes it’s hard to get into
some of the places they go to, but that’s OK.
The girls are all great.”
Already a solid member of the starting
line up, Thrasher is turning heads around
the nation. She has scored three goals and
assisted in another through eight games.
She, along with Blalack, was mentioned
in the fall issue of Sports Illustrated
Women’s Sports as a strong midfielder for
the Aggies.
“Nikki Thrasher, true to her name,
thrashes up opposing defenses and gets
the job done. (She) is always a key factor
in the game,” Guerrieri said. “All of our re
turning stars do their part, but Nikki and
all the freshman have stepped up and are
doing a great job.”
When Thrasher gets the ball, all hei
teammates anticipate that something is
going to happen, Blalack said.
“Everybody on the team has confi
dence in her. Nikki has great tenacity and
loads of talent. She adds a lot to this
team,” Blalack said.
The youngster has high hopes for hei
future with the A&M soccer program
Armed with loads of talent coupled with a
positive attitude, her ultimate goal of a na
tional championship may not be a dream
for very long.
“We are in a position to build the pro
gram up to be number one. We shfcm
progress just in beating Nebraska,” she
said. “That is just one of the steps we £re
taking on our way to the top. This team is
capable of so much.”
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BRIDAL OUTLETS
DESIGNER BRIDAL & BRIDESMAIDS
FACTORY DIRECT TO YOU!
15% TO 70% OFF
At the Texas Ave. entrance of A&M
Open Weeknights until 7 p.m., Saturday until 5 p.m.
764-8289
Parents’ Night Out
A free babysitting service for the faculty, staff, & students of
Texas A&M University provided by the members of
Alpha Phi Omega
will be
Friday, Sept. 26, 1997
6:30 - 10 p.m.
in 301 Rudder
QUESTIONS?
Cali Us!!
Alissa 847-1336
Troy 846-9239
/""I T?:
vjrlli
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Come find out
more at the First
General Meeting -
Tuesday
(September 23rd *
7:00 pm
Dudder 402 <
J
MSG L.T. Jordan Institute :
for International Awareness
for more information or to inform us of
your special needs, please call 845-8770
Major Event!
Thursday
Sepiaal
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With You!
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919 Harvey Road 211 University Drive
Big Weekend in Big “D”
Aggie Football
Texas A&M
vs.
The University of North Texas
Student Tickets are
1/2 Price
Only $12.50
Saturday, September 27
2:35 at Texas Stadium
(Aggie Band and Corps Trip)
For Tickets: 845-2311
G. Rollie White Coliseum
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campus and community news
8:04 a.m.
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during
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College Station / Bryan
Now on The Battalion’s web page
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■ A comprehensive, up-to-the-minute news report combin
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