Soccer Announces 2012 Schedule
5/1/2012 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
May 1, 2012
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Alabama fifth-year head soccer coach Todd Bramble announced the 2012 schedule on Tuesday. The Crimson Tide will play a total of 19 regular season contests with nine slated to be played at the Alabama Soccer Stadium.
"This schedule for our 2012 season will provide plenty of excitement on a variety of levels," Bramble said. "There are some compelling in-state matchups along with two talented new conference teams in Missouri and Texas A&M that will make this an extremely challenging season."
The schedule features 10 teams that made the 2011 NCAA tournament and 13 Southeastern Conference matches, with the additions of Texas A&M and Missouri. Alabama will also play one exhibition match at Clemson on Aug. 11.
The Tide will officially open the season in Atlanta when it faces Kennesaw State on Friday, Aug. 17, and then host its home opener against 2011 SoCon Champions, Samford on Friday, Aug. 24. Alabama will continue with in-state fixtures when it heads to Birmingham to play UAB on Sunday, Aug. 26, and then to Mobile to play South Alabama on Friday, Aug. 31.
UA returns home for a Sunday, Sept. 2, matchup with Mercer before hosting perennial ACC power Maryland, in a Thursday, Sept. 6, night fixture in Tuscaloosa.
The match against the Terps begins a streak of four fixtures against teams that made the NCAA tournament a year ago. Alabama will face rival Tennessee in Knoxville on Friday, Sept. 14, and then head to Baton Rouge to face LSU on Sunday, Sept. 16.
Alabama then opens the home portion of its league slate against Georgia on Sept. 21, and Mississippi on Sept. 23. The homestand will be short lived as the Tide will then hit the road for the next four conference matches.
"The parity amongst the teams in our league should be the tightest in recent history," Bramble explained. "With our new SEC tournament format, the battle to finish in the top six in the regular season will be intense. Our staff and players are looking forward to the challenge ahead."
UA heads to Nashville to play Vanderbilt on Sept. 28, and then closes out the month on Sunday, Sept. 30, in Lexington against Kentucky. Alabama will then head to College Station to play one of the newest members of the SEC in Texas A&M on Oct. 5, before closing out the road trip in Fayetteville with a Sunday, Oct. 7, matinee against Arkansas.
Alabama will finally return home for the next four matches as it opens the homestand against Mississippi State on Friday, Oct. 12. UA then hosts another new member of the league in Missouri on Sunday, Oct. 14.
The next weekend, the Tide will host the Florida Gators on Friday, Oct. 19, and then face 2011 SEC Champions South Carolina on Sunday, Oct. 21. Alabama closes the regular season at rival Auburn in the Iron Bowl of Soccer on Thursday, Oct. 25.
The SEC Tournament will once again be held in Orange Beach, Ala., and will begin on Oct. 29. The NCAA tournament will begin on Nov. 9, with the Women's College Cup to be hosted by the University of San Diego.
