Alabama Soccer to Host Auburn on Senior Night Friday
10/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
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The Alabama soccer team will take to the field for the final time this season Friday night as it plays host to rival Auburn at 7 p.m. at the UA Soccer Complex. The match will be the final home game for five Crimson Tide seniors and fans are encouraged to dress in Alabama attire for the match as part of “Covered in Alabama” night.
“This one is for pride,” Alabama head coach Don Staley said. “This is to get us to .500 and I fully expect us to come out with the same type intensity we displayed against Tennessee on Sunday.”
The Crimson Tide (7-8-2, 1-7-2 SEC) took the No. 16-ranked Volunteers to overtime Sunday afternoon before falling 2-1. Alabama played No. 17-ranked Florida to a 2-2 tie earlier in the season.
Prior to the match Alabama will honor its record-setting senior class: Leigh Alexander, Kylie Boyd, Allison DeLisle, Cally Morrill and Libby Probst. The group will exit as one of the most successful classes in Alabama history. Probst ranks as the Tide’s most prolific scorer of all-time while Boyd sits 10th on the school’s all-time goals list. DeLisle and Morrill each moved into the top-15 in career minutes played at Alabama this season and Alexander started 41 consecutive matches between 2003 and 2005.
“I encourage our fans to come out and support these seniors who have dedicated themselves to this program over the last four years,” Alabama head coach Don Staley said.
Auburn (6-10-1, 5-5 SEC) will enter the match on a two-match losing streak after dropping decisions to Georgia and Tennessee over the weekend. The Tigers have clinched a spot in the SEC tournament and are led by Kristen Stewart. Stewart has four goals and 11 points on the season, but four other Tigers are just behind her with three goals.
“I look for Auburn to play hard as they get ready for the SEC tournament,” Staley said. “They’ve played an ambitious non-conference schedule and their record is not a true indication of how dynamic they can be. I expect them to come to Tuscaloosa, as all Auburn teams do, with motivation to beat their rival.”
The series has been littered with classics. Five of the 13 meetings between the two rivals have extended into overtime. Auburn holds a 6-5-2 advantage in the series, but Alabama is 3-1-1 against the Tigers in Tuscaloosa.
