COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The No. 15 Texas A&M Aggies wrap up non-conference action Sunday when they host the No. 9 Pepperdine Waves in a 1:30 p.m. contest at Ellis Field.
Sunday is Texas A&M’s annual Turn It Gold match in support of childhood cancer awareness. The match features $3 admission at the gate if you wear gold to the match in support of childhood cancer awareness. Special edition gold scarves will be on sale for $10 with all funds going toward the Turn It Gold fund. It is also Youth Sunday Funday at Ellis Field. With the purchase of one full-price adult ticket fans may bring in up to four kicks for free. The Kids Zone will be open in the Northwest corner of Ellis Field.
The Maroon & White tote a 14-match home win streak and six-match unbeaten string into the contest. Maile Hayes has scored five goals in the last four matches. She is looking to become the first Aggie since Ally Watt in 2018 to find the back of the net in five consecutive matches.
The Aggies’ six-match unbeaten streak, kicked off with a 3-1 triumph over then-No. 9 Clemson, also includes wins against Sam Houston (5-0), UTEP (4-1), Southern (5-0) and Kentucky (3-0). The Maroon & White also played Oklahoma State to a 1-1 draw.
Texas A&M enters play with a 14-match home win streak dating back to the 2019 campaign. The last time the Aggies dropped a home match was a 3-1 loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks on October 18, 2019. It marks the Aggies’ sixth-longest home win streak and their longest since winning 14 in a row between October 2014 and October 2015.
Twelve different Aggies have scored goals in 2021, including five players with multiple goals. Hayes leads the squad with five goals, all in the last four matches. Kate Colvin and Taylor Pounds rank second with three goals each. Natalie Abel and Daria Britton have two goals apiece. Other Aggies notching one apiece include Kendall Bates, Carissa Boeckmann, Lauren Geczik, Makhiya McDonald, Barbara Olivieri, Mia Pante and Natalie Yoo.
The Aggies and Waves have met on three prior occasions with the series all square at 1-1-1. In the only prior meeting at Ellis Field, the Waves won 3-1 in 2013 behind a two-goal performance by future US Women’s National Team player Lynn Williams. The Aggies’ victory in the series came in the 2017 season opener, played at Loyola Marymount, with Jimena Lopez scoring a 94th minute golden goal in her first match with the Maroon & White. The teams played to a 0-0 draw in Malibu in 2019.
The match airs on SEC Network+ with David Ellis (play-by-play) and Jeff Given (color) on the call. Fans may listen to the match in the Brazos Valley on 97.3 FM and worldwide in the 12th Man Mobile app and on 12thMan.com/live with Casey Atnip delivering the commentary.
