COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The Texas A&M Aggies stormed the Southeastern Conference soccer coaches’ postseason awards Thursday, claiming five of the league’s most prestigious accolades. The Aggies also landed four players on the All-SEC First Team and two on the SEC All-Freshman Team.
G Guerrieri shared SEC Coach of the Year honors with Arkansas’ Colby Hale. Addie McCain was named SEC Midfielder of the Year, while two members of the Aggies’ backline, Jimena Lopez and Karlina Sample, shared SEC Defender of the Year recognition. Barbara Olivieri was a no-doubter in the SEC Freshman of the Year balloting.
Lopez, McCain, Olivieri and Sample also garnered All-SEC First Team honors, while Laney Carroll and Olivieri pulled in SEC All-Freshman laurels. Texas A&M was the only squad to land four players on the All-SEC First Team and one of three teams to have two members named to the 12-player All-Freshman Team.
The six Aggie award winners were key cogs in a fall campaign that ended with a six-match win streak and a share of their third SEC regular-season title with a 7-1-0 mark.
Guerrieri picked up his third SEC Coach of the Year honor, a recognition the league bestowed upon him in 2013 and ’14. He also earned coach of the year accolades on two occasions in the Big 12. Guerrieri ranks among the leaders in victories and winning percentage for active NCAA Division I coaches. With a career record of 479-149-39 (.747), he ranks fourth in victories and seventh in winning percentage. Guerrieri is also fifth all-time among NCAA Division I coaches in victories.
McCain shines in a star-studded Texas A&M midfield this season, sharing the Aggies’ lead with five goals and ranking second with 12 points. The Wylie, Texas, native picked up her second All-SEC honor, adding to last year’s second-team plaque. The four-year starter in the midfield has 48 career points on 16 goals and 16 assists.
SEC co-Defenders of the Year Lopez and Sample star on an Aggie backline that leads the SEC in goals-against average (0.63) and shutouts (4) with three different netminders starting multiple games.
The versatile Lopez was last year’s SEC Midfielder of the Year. She earned All-SEC First Team honors for the second time. Lopez leads the Aggies and ranks second in the SEC with four assists. The Mexico City native has also added two goals. Lopez’s career numbers include 57 points on 17 goals and 23 assists in 70 matches.
After two years hampered by injury, Sample’s 2020 season has played out to the high standard she set when healthy in 2018 and ’19. She has played 710 of the team’s 720 minutes, as the Aggies have limited opponents to a miniscule 3.13 shots-on-goal per match.
A two-time SEC Freshman of the Week, Olivieri ranks second in the SEC in goals (5) and points (13), and leads the Aggies in both categories. She also ranks second the squad with three assists.
Despite missing three matches, Carroll caught the eye of the conference’s coaches. In five matches, she logged five points on two goals and one assist.
Texas A&M returns to action Tuesday when they head to the SEC Tournament in Orange Beach, Alabama. The Aggies enter the tournament as the No. 3 seed and face No. 6 seed Ole Miss, No. 11 seed Alabama or No. 14 seed LSU in a 2:30 p.m. match at Orange Beach Sportsplex.
Co-Coach of the Year
G Guerrieri, Texas A&M
Colby Hale, Arkansas
Forward of the Year
Anna Podojil, Arkansas
Midfielder of the Year
Addie McCain, Texas A&M
Co-Defender of the Year
Jimena Lopez, Texas A&M
Karlina Sample, Texas A&M
Goalkeeper of the Year
Ashley Orkus, Ole Miss
Freshman of the Year
Barbara Olivieri, Texas A&M
Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Chanel Thomas, Ole Miss
Lauren Chang, South Carolina
