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SEC Regular-Season Title Celebration
Photo by: Craig Bisacre

Aggies Land Four on United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region Team

May 12, 2021 | Soccer

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – The Texas A&M Aggies had four players named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region First Team, the organization announced Wednesday. The Aggie honorees included defenders Jimena López and Karlina Sample, midfielder Addie McCain and forward Barbara Olivieri.
 
Texas A&M's four honorees were the most first-teamers on the All-Southeast Region team, with only Arkansas, High Point and Ole Miss landing multiple athletes on the 16-player squad with two apiece.
 
It marked the second time earning All-Southeast Region recognition for López (2019) and McCain (2018). It was the first honor for Olivieri and Sample.
 
The quartet earned All-SEC First Team recognition last November, and each captured player of the year status from the league. McCain was named SEC Midfielder of the Year, while two members of the Aggies' backline, López and Sample, shared SEC Defender of the Year recognition. Olivieri was a no-doubter in the SEC Freshman of the Year balloting.
 
López registered 10 points on three goals and four assists in her 10 matches last fall, and she helped the Aggies record five shutouts. The versatile López was the 2019 SEC Midfielder of the Year before switching to the backline for the 2020 campaign. López, who graduated after the fall semester, elected not to play collegiate soccer this spring. The Mexico City native's career numbers included 59 points on 18 goals and 23 assists in 72 matches. The highly sought after international player was drafted by OL Reign in the National Women's Soccer League Draft in January, but signed with Spanish club SD Eibar two weeks later. She made her professional debut in February.
 
McCain shined in a star-studded Texas A&M midfield this season, ranking second on the Aggies with five goals and 12 points in her 10 matches. She picked up her second All-SEC honor, adding to 2018's second-team plaque. The four-year starter in the midfield notched 48 career points on 16 goals and 16 assists. McCain was selected by Kansas City in the second round of January's NWSL Draft with the 17th overall pick and made her debut in early May.
 
Olivieri was a two-time SEC Freshman of the Week in the fall and continued her stellar play into the spring. She led the Aggies in goals (8), assists (5), points (21) and game-winning goals (3). She enjoyed two-goal performances against Mississippi State and South Florida. She ranked No. 3 on TopDrawerSoccer's Midseason Freshman Top 100 in early April.
 
Sample starred on an Aggie backline that led the SEC in goals-against average and shutouts in league play with three different netminders starting multiple games. For the season, she helped the Aggies notch nine shutouts and register a 0.87 goals-against average. Sample started all 17 matches and ranked second on the team with 1,551 minutes on the pitch. Sample logged her first career assist in the Aggies' 3-1 win at Tennessee. She ranked No. 12 on TopDrawerSoccer's Midseason Top 100 in early April.
 
The Aggies enjoyed a successful 2020-21 campaign, logging a 7-1-0 mark in league play to earn a share of their third SEC regular-season Championship in the fall. With two All-Americans, Lopez and McCain, leaving the roster in January to pursue professional playing careers, the Maroon & White battled in the spring to earn their 26th consecutive NCAA Tournament bid and advanced to the Elite Eight for the seventh time in program history.