Tide Soccer Opens Season with Win, Probst Earns Hat Trick

Friday, August 26

New Orleans, La.

5:00 p.m

Alabama

1-0

Tulane

0-1

Tulane

Tide Soccer Opens Season with Win, Probst Earns Hat Trick

8/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Soccer

Box Score

Friday, August 26, 2005

Libby Probst

NEW ORLEANS -- The Alabama soccer team used four second half goals and Libby Probst earned her first career Hat Trick Friday night to defeat Tulane 4-1 in the opening game of the Tulane Tournament in New Orleans, La.

Probst scored three times within a 10:13 span in the second half to give the Crimson Tide (1-0) its seventh consecutive season-opening win and its first ever on the road.

“This was a team effort tonight,” Alabama head coach Don Staley said. “The goals were nice, but we won this game because we played stifling defense and applied relentless pressure on offense. I give Tulane a lot of credit too, they came to play tonight and they’ll win a lot of games this year.”

The golden goal came at 72:17. A hustle play on behalf of Probst deflected the ball away from a Tulane defender and into the net to put Alabama ahead for good.

“This is a nice way to start the season,” Probst said. “Those were some of the luckiest goals of my life. I was just trying to stop the ball and it ended up going in.”

Probst’s Hat Trick was the 14th in Alabama history and moves her up to eighth all-time on the Tide’s goals-scored list (21) and seventh on the all-time points list (54).

“Libby’s work ethic has been on display for four years here and it showed again tonight,” Staley said.

Alabama’s offensive outbreak in the second half was a far cry from the opening half of play. Both teams played 55:00 of scoreless soccer before Kylie Miller put Tulane in front with a goal from 15 yards out.

However, Alabama didn’t trail for long. Four minutes after Miller’s goal, sophomore midfielder Hayley MacDonald found senior Kylie Boyd on a long pass downfield. Boyd then side-stepped a Tulane defender and found the back of the net to even the score at one apiece.

The MacDonald-Boyd connection seemingly opened the floodgates for Alabama. After Probst scored the game’s deciding goal at 72:17, she then stretched the lead to 3-1 at 77:59 with an assist from Chelsea Stang and then put it out of reach with another unassisted goal at 83:30.

Alabama’s defense held Tulane to just four shots-on-goal and freshmen goalkeepers Kara Gudmens and Karen Lansden combined for the win in net. Each keeper made two saves on the night in their first ever collegiate game. Six freshmen in all made their collegiate debuts Friday night. Cara Kelly and Jessie Deegan each started the game while Colleen Posey and Callie Pike came off the bench and provided key minutes for the Tide.

Alabama will continue play at the Tulane Tournament Sunday afternoon when it takes on North Dakota State (1-0) at noon. The Bison defeated Troy University Friday night 2-0.