Coach G, Aggie Soccer hosting annual 'Turn it Gold' game this weekend

Key notes from G Guerrieri interview

• We're on a run of some really big, important and difficult games. Of our 18 regular-season games, we play 11 against nationally-ranked teams. Kentuck is not nationally ranked, but they're having a great year. Anytime you go on the road, you have to overcome whatever they do. Hopefully, it'll be a good way for us to get the SEC portion of the year going.
   
• The tie at Oklahoma State felt like a loss. We played well in so many instances. We had a chance to stick a knife in it. Unfortunately, it's part of our youth. Fortunately, I don't think the actions will repeat themselves. There was a great goal by Maile Hayes. We're starting four freshmen in our attack. These players are getting used to the level of competition in the SEC. They're playing against older players who may be five years older than them. It's a transition for them and their game. They're learning to deal with strength and power. They're learning how to take these challenges on.
   
• We're finding ourselves. The number of passes that we're competing in a match continues to go up. We completed 287 passes against Florida State. Then it was over 300 against TCU. The next game, it was over 400. We're feeling much more comfortable with the ball and how we're going to move to open up spaces. I feel good about it, and the players have done well with it.
   
• Kentucky has a super gaol scorer and a first-team All-SEC player. We're going to have to shut her down.
   
• Our match vs. Pepperdine is Sunday Funday. It's a great event, and this particular game is the Turn It Gold game. That's the color of juvenile cancer awareness, which is the No. 1 killer of kids. Over 90,000 kids die from cancer every year, and juvenile cancer is one of the least funded research ventures among cancer research. This is our big fundraiser, and this is our cause. We'll wear special gold and maroon uniforms, and we'll sell them after the game. There's an auction site open right now: 12thMan.com/TurnItGold to bid. We're also selling maroon and gold scarves that look really cool. It's a great cause.
   
• This will be no walk in the park. The last time we played Pepperdine at home, we got beat. We gave up a couple of big goals in the second half. We're going to need the 12th Man out there. Whether you're coming out to support us or the fight against juvenile cancer, we need you at Ellis Field.