The junior midfielder had a special interest after missing A&M's run to the Elite 8 last year when he was nearly 5,000 miles away playing for the United States in the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.
"It was hard choosing whether I wanted to stay or not, but it was a great experience to play nationally," Mautz said. "It was a good decision, I thought, but it was rough not being here for my teammates. They knew what was better for me. My teammates were behind me 100 percent."
Mautz had played in all but one of A&M's regular-season matches, but the chance to win a gold medal -- which she and the U.S. team did -- was hard to pass up.
"The opportunity to represent the United States and win a world championship is a unique, sometimes once in a lifetime, experience that not too many people get," A&M head coach G. Guerrieri said. "So when she had that option last year, we were among the first to say, we'll support you no matter what you want to do and we'll completely understand if you want to do that, and we think it will make us better in the long run if you gain that experience.'"
Mautz and most of the other Americans kept up with their college teams in the NCAA Tournament when they had the chance.
"When the [A&M's Elite 8 match] was going on, we had practice," Mautz said. "When we were coming back, we were discussing who's winning and what the score might be, and I said, 'I don't know. I have a good feeling about our team this year. We got back, and it was 1-1, so we were just going crazy waiting to see who was going to win. [The UNC players] were so scared."
North Carolina came out on top 2-1 and went on to claim its 19th NCAA title.
The A&M loss temporarily dampened Mautz's spirits, but her unforgettable experience on and off the field in Chile continued throughout the three-week event in the soccer-crazed country.
"Every time we left the hotel, we would be asked for pictures," she said. "We felt like celebrities, because they were so fascinated that we were on the national team from USA."
Mautz had fans back home as well.
Even though the Aggies had some business of their own to take care of, they watched USA's games on TV -- for the most part to see their teammate.
"My roommates were always telling me how they saw me on TV or something like that, because whenever I was on the bench, I was always getting filmed somehow," said Mautz, who was one of the final additions to the team and got her first cap in a pool-play victory over China.
"They always respected her decision," Guerrieri said of Mautz's Aggie teammates. "The team would gather around, and we would watch on TV the games she played and when she was on the sidelines. We'd see her, and she'd get a huge ovation from her teammates."
Mautz is earning praise from her coaches and teammates in a different manner heading into the NCAA Tournament. She scored three goals and had two assists over the regular season to earn second-team All-Big 12 honors.
The junior credits a number of things for her improved play this season, beginning with what she learned playing and practicing for the national team.
"When you are playing [in World Cup], the speed of play is so much faster," she said. "You can't just have a simple pass. You have to be able to curve it, and your touch has to be the best."
But perhaps the most significant change from last year is how the Missouri native has settled into life and soccer at A&M after transferring from Saint Louis University before last season.
"I feel like finally I'm a part of the team," she said. "I was here the whole entire year. I feel I got to know my team, got to know how they played all throughout the year. Being here 100 percent was so much better for me and my confidence."
With three season-ending injuries to starting midfielders, A&M needed Mautz to feel more comfortable. She has played in all 22 games, starting 17 and scoring the game-winner from long range to beat Colorado 2-0 -- a victory that clinched second place in the Big 12 for A&M (14-6-2).
"It's great that she was able to get that experience, and now we're glad she's back in the lineup for us because she has world-class abilities that really affect our success," Guerrieri said. "We want her to be an attacking midfielder because she has great range. She's incredibly fit, an engine that doesn't stop, so we want to use that engine as a supporting player on attack and be someone who can also defend well."
TEXAS A&M SOCCER
What: NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament
Regional: Baton Rouge, La., campus of LSU
Who: No. 22 Texas A&M (14-6-2) vs. Memphis (16-6-0); LSU (14-4-2) vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (12-6-4)
When: 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Friday.
Next: Winners play at 1 p.m., Sunday.
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