In this week’s college soccer recap, the two new programs in the SEC make an immediate impact, UCLA shockingly held to a scoreless draw, and a brief profile of the top goal scorer in the nation. 

Who Let the New Guys In?

The #3 Texas A&M (10-1-0) Aggies are only four games into their first season in the Southeastern Conference, and yet they have already made history. Sophomore goalkeeper Jordan Day recorded her seventh consecutive shutout on Sunday in a 2-0 win over Auburn to tie the SEC record, which was set by South Carolina’s Mollie Patton in 2009.

Day will have a chance to take full share of the record on Friday when the Aggies travel to Lexington for a clash against the #48 Wildcats of Kentucky (8-2-0). Head coach Jon Lipsitz’s squad has not been shutout in ten games this year.

The Aggies are not the only new team enjoying the move to the SEC. The #25 Tigers of Missouri (9-1-0) are also 4-0-0 to start conference play and sit atop the Eastern Division. Senior midfielder Haley Krentz leads the balanced Tigers attack with six assists on the season.

History Repeats

The intimidating #4 UCLA Bruins (7-0-2) are rarely denied what they want, except when they meet the Washington State Cougars (6-2-1). For the second season in a row, the Cougars held the Bruins to a scoreless draw in conference play.

"I think where we lacked was in our decision-making,” UCLA coach B.J. Snow said after the game. “It was a little bit slow, especially in our attacking half, which was something we did not experience last week. Our legs looked a little heavy. We'll just learn from this experience and move forward."

And while Snow and his team wanted to quickly move on from the game, the Cougars never wanted to leave Drake Stadium.

"Anytime you can come into a top five opponent's house and come out with a result, you've got to be proud," Washington State head coach Keidane McAlpine said after the game. "The intensity level was good for the entire 90 (minutes) plus the overtime. We finally put it all together."

The California trip for Washington State ended on a sour note though with a 3-0 loss to #18 Santa Clara on Sunday.

Tough Decision for Stanford

Everything was going really well for the #2 Stanford Cardinal (7-1-1). Five wins in a row, zero goals conceded, and U.S. U20 Women’s National Team forward Chioma Ubogagu fit right back into the lineup when she return to Northern California last week.

But now, there is a big decision ahead for Stanford head coach Paul Ratcliffe. The NCAA Champions finally have last season’s goalkeeper Emily Oliver back from injury, yet her replacement Aly Gleason has done exceptionally well in her absence.

"It's hard decision, because Aly Gleason has been amazing for us," Stanford head coach Paul Ratcliffe said after Sunday’s 3-0 win over Arizona State (4-5-1). "But Emily's also an incredible goalkeeper. She has a great presence, she's a great leader. It's going to be a difficult decision from here on out, with quite a few fantastic goalkeepers to decide on."

Super Subs

The #22 Baylor Bears (9-1-2) showed off the depth of their squad on Sunday in a 4-0 win over #51 Stephen F Austin(w) (7-3-0). Goals by Lisa Sliwinski, Alexa Wilde, and Michelle Hagen off the bench propelled the Big 12 squad to a win in its final non-conference clash.

"I was very stressed about this game for the last two days, because Stephen F. Austin is a great team," head coach Marci Jobson said after the game. "I knew we had to come out playing with our hearts, our minds and our souls and we did that. My team shook off all the pressures facing them and played great tonight."

Baylor played two nights earlier to a 1-1 draw with Oklahoma (4-5-3), so Jobson had to depend on her assets on the bench in Sunday’s clash. Sliwinski and Hagen have been clutch in those situations with seven goals between the two of them in only four starts.

Meet the (new) Top Scorer in the Nation

Central Arkansas junior forward Adriana Lucar is leading the nation in goals per game and total goals [14 goals in 10 games]. Given this is her first season at the Division I level; here is a brief crash course on Lucar:

• She played for two seasons at Harding University. She scored 18 goals in 36 games while at the Division II level. Harding head coach Greg Harris started recruiting her after seeing a highlight video online.
• Her hometown is Lima, Peru, which is the capital and largest city of the South American country. Lucar has represented her country at the U17 and U20 levels.
• Lucar’s 14 goals in a season is second in Central Arkansas program history. Record holder Hollie Fowler [15 goals] probably won’t be holding the top spot for very long.