<strong>CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – </strong>For the first time in 2016, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's soccer team will play in the friendly confines of the Dugan Soccer Stadium. The Islanders (0-5-0) open their home schedule with matches against Houston on Friday and UTRGV on Sunday.<br />
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Kickoff for Friday's match will be at 7 p.m. and fans can come out to the Jack two hours early for the Kickoff Tailgate in conjunction with Waves of Welcome. The 7 p.m. start time versus the Vaqueros will be the return leg of the South Texas Showdown presented by NavyArmy Community Credit Union.<br />
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Every home game this season will be available to watch for free on the Islanders Digital Network. Gates open one hour before kickoff at 6 p.m.<br />
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<strong>THE OPENING KICK </strong><br />
• A&M-Corpus Christi finally returns home this weekend after starting the year with five-straight road contests. The Islanders face Houston (2-0-1) on Friday at 7 p.m., before the return leg of the South Texas Showdown presented by NavyArmy Community Credit Union against UTRGV (3-0-1) on Sunday at 7 p.m.<br />
• Prior to the match on Friday, fans will be treated to free food, fun and games with the Kickoff Tailgate in conjunction with Waves of Welcome.<br />
• The home opener kicks off a five-game homestand, which is the longest in program history. <br />
• Sunday's match will be the second time the Islanders will rematch a team in the same year and the first in the regular season. Previously, A&M-Corpus Christi met Southeastern La. twice in 2015 with the second game in the Southland Conference Tournament<br />
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<strong>LAST MATCH </strong><br />
• The Islanders struck first on the road last Friday at UTSA, before falling 6-1.<br />
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Chayse Bauer tallied her first career goal in the first minute against the Road Runners with assists from
Kaitlyn Joy and
Shayla Spearman.<br />
• Bauer's strike broke a goalless streak for the Islanders that spanned 269 minutes.<br />
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Tatum Hightower entered the match for the first meaningful minutes of her career. The Roanoke, Texas, native made four stops in the second half.<br />
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<strong>IT'S GOOD TO BE HOME </strong><br />
• The Islanders return to Dugan Soccer Stadium this weekend after the longest road swing to start a year in program history.<br />
• Despite an 0-3 mark in home openers, the Islanders have tallied eight of 11 wins in program history at the Jack.<br />
• Additionally, the Blue and Green have bagged 58.5-percent (24) of its all-time goals at home.<br />
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<strong>SOUTH TEXAS SHOWDOWN </strong><br />
• The season opener against UTRGV was the inaugural competition in the South Texas Showdown presented by NavyArmy Community Credit Union.<br />
• Texas A&M-Corpus Christi trailed UTRGV 3-0 after the first contest, but Islanders Volleyball evened up the series at 5-5 with a defensive based 3-1 victory at the Dugan Wellness Center on Sept. 6.<br />
• Each school will earn points based on results when the two institutions compete annually in 12 sports.<br />
• The rivalry series was created in an effort to increase exposure for the two universities in their respective communities and the entire South Texas area.<br />
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<strong>SCOUTING HOUSTON</strong><br />
• Houston rolls into the weekend with a 2-0-1 record with wins against Texas Southern and Incarnate Word, before a 0-0 draw at Texas State.<br />
• Hannah Dauzat has led the way for the Cougars with a trio of goals to open up the year.<br />
• Goalkeeper Rachel Estopare has played every minute in back for Houston without conceding a goal. She was named the American Athletic Conference goalkeeper of the week.<br />
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<strong>SCOUTING UTRGV</strong><br />
• The Vaqueros are 3-1-1 this year with wins against the Islanders, Lamar and Prairie View A&M.<br />
• UTRGV has continued to pepper the net with shots, averaging 22 attempts per game through the opening five matches.<br />
• Diandra Aliaga has tallied three goals and one assist to lead the team with seven points, while a pair of goals and assists has Andreya Barrera second.<br />
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<strong>STAY SOCIAL</strong><br />
For more information on Islanders Soccer, follow the team on Twitter (@IslandersSoccer), Instagram (@IslandersSoccer) and like their Facebook page (Islanders Soccer).
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>- Go Islanders - </strong></div>
