Sports
The Battalion
Page 4 • Friday, November 14,2(1
Soccer team hosts SMU
in first round action
By Troy Miller
THE BATTALION
For the Texas A&M soccer
team, hosting the first and sec
ond round of the NCAA
Championship Tournament has
become commonplace, but this
season is different. After losing
four of their last five matches,
the Aggies were scared of
being left out of the tournament
altogether for the first time in
eight years.
Now, with their fears put
aside after getting
in along with a
Big 12 record
eight teams from
the conference,
the No. 16 Aggies
are gearing up to
play their first
round match
against cross
state rival and
Western Athletic
Conference
champion
Southern
Methodist
University (17-
3-1) at 7 p.m.
We know a lot
about SMU.
Familiarity I think
makes any game
more difficult.
And yes, the Aggies (12-5-
2) will be hosting once again at
the Aggie Soccer Complex, but
some of the Aggie players
believe the reasoning could be
their fans more than their play.
“It’s such an advantage
(playing at home),” said A&M
junior defender Amanda Burke.
‘‘Our fans and our atmosphere
is what brought us a home
game. I feel like it was handed
to us, and now we have to do
something with it.”
SMU is becoming an all too
familiar foe for the Aggies in
postseason play. A&M has
ended the Mustangs’ season the
past two years in dramatic
overtime wins, sending the
Aggies on to the Sweet 16.
A season ago, the Aggies
pulled out a 2-1 thriller as then-
freshman goalkeeper Kati Jo
Spisak made three saves in the
shootout to send the Aggies on
with a 3-2 shootout victory.
"We know a lot about
SMU,” said A&M coach G.
Guerrieri. “Familiarity I think
makes any game more difficult.
As well as we know them, they
in turn really know us. We’ve
played them so many times and
none of those games have been
decided by more than one goal,
and some of them have gone to
overtime.”
Not only have
these two teams
squared off in
three straight
postseasons and
their annual regu
lar season match,
many of the play
ers battled with
and against each
other on teams
before college.
In other words,
this rivalry has
firm roots that go
beyond the two
universities and
ifelong struggles for
— G. Guerrieri
Aggie soccer coach
into
supremacy.
“The girls grew up playing
against each other,” Guerrieri
said. “These are rivals not just
from the college years, but these
players have grown up against
each other, many of them since
they were 10 years old.”
One such case is Burke and
Mustang senior forward Kim
Harvey. Despite Burke growing
up in Spring and Harvey in
Garland, the two faced each other
plenty of times at the club level.
Both used to play center mid-
field and play directly off each
other. Now in the college ranks
Burke has moved to defense
while Harvey has changed to
See Soccer on page 8
Aggies look for first win on the road
By Michael Crow
THE BATTALION
There’s no place like home for the
Missouri football team. While struggling on
the road, the Tigers have built a perfect 4-0
record this season at Faurot Field, the site of
Saturday’s matchup against Texas A&M.
Missouri has been stunned away from
Faurot’s friendly confines, averaging only
14.3 points per game in its three losses on the
road to Kansas, Oklahoma and Colorado.
Meanwhile, the Tigers averaged 51.5
points scored in their two conference games
at home, including a 41-24 victory over
defensive power Nebraska.
This doesn’t bode well for the struggling
Aggies (4-6, 2-4 Big 12), who must win out
against Missouri and Texas to avoid their first
losing season in 20 years. Once renowned for
its Wrecking Crew defense, A&M is allowing
a gaudy 37.4 points per game this season.
Last week, the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners
embarrassed the Aggies, 77-0, compiling 636
yards of total offense and scoring on 10 of
their first 11 possessions.
Still, the Tigers (6-3, 2-3 Big 12) are not
taking A&M lightly.
Missouri wide receiver Thomson
Omboga said he expects a competitive
matchup.
“They want to come out and prove that
they're a better team then last week's score
showed,” he said. “So they're going to come
at us with their best game, and we're going to
give them our best game.”
That means plenty of work for Tigers
quarterback Brad Smith.
The sophomore has passed for 1,470
yards and 10 touchdowns this season, but it’s
his ability to run the ball that is the biggest
challenge to opposing defenses.
Smith has rushed for 1,057 yards and 12
touchdowns in only nine games, numbers
most running backs would be pleased with at
the end of a full season.
Smith became the second player in divi
sion 1-A history last season to throw for
2,000 yards and run for another 1,000 in the
same season.
A&M coach Dennis Franchione said
defending Smith certainly provides a
challenge.
"(Smith) is hard to stop. He has certainly
been a catalyst for their offense,"
Franchione said. "Nobody has really
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Far Photo • THE BATTAu
Missouri sophomore quarterback Brad Smith scrambles from former Aggie linebacker Randal Wekfc
year at Kyle Field. The Aggies are hoping for a little payback after falling to the Tigers 33-27 last|«r
stopped him very much."
Missouri has a second candidate for a
1,000-yard rushing season in senior tailback
Zack Abron. Abron has piled up 798 yards on
the ground, reaching the end zone 10 times.
Defensively, the Tigers are led by a strong
trio of linebackers. Senior Brandon Barnes is
a potent pass rusher, picking up nine sacks
already in 2003. Meanwhile, juniors James
Kinney and Nino Williams have maintained
a stronghold inside, tallying 108 and 78 tack
les, respectively.
The Tigers have said one of their main
objectives will be slowing down A&M quar
terback Reggie McNeal. Like Missouri’s
Smith. McNeal is a threat with his
his legs. The sophomore has passed fi
1,539 yards while scrambling for morelli|
500 on the ground.
"I le’s a great player,” said Missouricosi
Gary Pinkel. "He's got great quicknessk
speed, and certainly he's a guy thatcanputi
lot of pressure on us. We have a
him on our football team so we unites
what he means to them.”
McNeal and the Aggies wi
to overcome Missouri’s home successai
pick up their first win on the roadte
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