Alabama Soccer Set for Pair of Weekend Matches
10/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Following a hard-fought, 2-1, double-overtime loss to intrastate rival No. 8 Auburn on Oct. 1, Alabama continues the final month of the regular season with a pair of matches this weekend.
THE OPENING KICK
? The Crimson Tide will travel to College Station on Friday to take on the No. 17 Texas A&M Aggies at 7 p.m. CT , before returning to Tuscaloosa to wrap up this weekend's action on Sunday vs. Tennessee at 5 p.m. CT. Both matches will be available on SECN+.
? The Crimson Tide enters this weekend having won three of its last five home matches at the Alabama Soccer Complex. The Tide knocked off LSU and Southern Miss to begin the stretch, before splitting a pair of weekend matches vs. Kentucky and Jacksonville State. Alabama fell to No. 8 Auburn by a final score of 2-1 in double overtime in its most recent home match on Oct. 1.
? Following this weekend's action, the Tide will again spilt a pair of home and road matches, first traveling to Athens to face Georgia, before returning home to square off with Missouri on Sunday. Opening kick for the Tide and Bulldogs is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT, while the Tide and Tigers will begin at 7 p.m. CT. Both matches will be broadcast live on SECN+.
CRIMSON TIDE DROPS DOUBLE-OVERTIME THRILLER TO NO. 8 AUBURN, 2-1
? Alabama was defeated by the visiting No. 8 Auburn Tigers by a final score of 2-1 in double overtime on Oct. 1 at the Alabama Soccer Complex.
? Auburn freshman Taylor Troutman scored the game-winner in the 103rd minute to hand the Tide its first overtime loss of the 2015 season.
?Auburn scored the game's first goal just over one minute into the contest, as senior Kayla Faulkner recovered a deflected corner in front of the Alabama goal and fired home her second score of the season to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.
? The game would remain 1-0 until Alabama freshman Tori Gann scored her first career goal at the 64:10 mark to even the score at 1-1 and force extra time.
? After a scoreless first overtime period, Auburn freshman Taylor Troutman headed home a long cross from Hannah Alspach in the 103rd minute to send the Tigers to their fifth-straight victory.
SERIES HISTORY: TEXAS A&M
? Alabama is seeking its first win over Texas A&M since the first meeting between the two schools back on Sept. 15, 1996 in College Station. The Tide won that match by a final score of 3-1.
? Texas A&M leads the all-time head-to-head series 4-1, winning four straight, outscoring the Tide 13-2 over that span.
? The Aggies have won back-to-back matches in College Station, as the two teams most recent matchup came on Oct. 18, 2013 in Tuscaloosa.
SERIES HISTORY: TENNESSEE
? Alabama has taken two of three and three of the last five head-to-head meetings vs. Tennessee, but the Volunteers still lead the all-time series, 11-5-1.
? Tennessee defeated the Tide in last year's SEC Tournament, scoring three unanswered second-half goals after the Tide had built a 2-0 halftime lead.
JIMENEZ ROLLING
? Junior transfer Celia Jimenez has been a staple in the Tide's lineup in 2015 after transferring from Iowa State Community College last spring, as she is one of just two players on the Tide (Abby Lutzenkirchen) to start all 13 games to begin the season.
? Jimenez currently leads the team in points (10) and goals (four), and has collected the game-winning goal in two of the Tide's four victories.
? The attacking midfielder notched the Tide's first multi-goal performance of the season in a 2-0 victory over Jacksonville State on Sept. 20 - her team-leading third and fourth goals of the 2015 campaign.
? Jimenez scored her first goal as a member of the Crimson Tide on Aug. 30 at Tennessee Tech, and cashed in the golden goal in a double overtime victory on Sept. 11 vs. LSU.
? Three of Jimenez's four goals on the season have come off corner kicks from fellow newcomer, freshman Emma Welch.
LUTZENKIRCHEN LOGGING MINUTES
? Senior captain Abby Lutzenkirchen has played 6,165 minutes in an Alabama uniform following the conclusion of Thursday's game vs. Auburn.
? The three-year letterwinner has started all 70 games in her collegiate career since stepping foot on campus in 2012.
? Should Lutzenkirchen play the full 90 minutes in each of the Tide's remaining six games this season, she would become the Tide's all-time leader in minutes played, passing Ashley Willis who played 6,592 minutes from 2009-12.
BEST SHOT
? Alabama dominated the offensive attack from start to finish vs. Jacksonville State on Sept. 20, firing off a season-high 38 shots, including 12 shots on goal.
? The 38 shots were just two short of the 5th-highest single-game shot total in the history of the Alabama women's soccer program.
? The previous weekend vs. LSU and Southern Miss, Alabama outshot its opponents a combined 55-14 (LSU; 33-8, Southern Miss; 22-6), more than doubling its average number of shots-per-game vs. LSU en route to a season-high three goals.
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
? Two of the last three games have seen one of the team's eight freshman score their first career collegiate goal.
? Christina Martensson headed home her first career score in the 24th minute of the Tide's 3-2 loss to Ole Miss on Sept. 25, while fellow freshman Tori Gann netted her first college goal in Alabama's most recent match vs. Auburn on Oct. 1.
WELCH ASSISTING
? Thirteen games into her first collegiate season, freshman Emma Welch has immediately become a contributor and steady presence for the Crimson Tide.
? A set-piece specialist, Welch has taken the majority of corner kicks and free kicks for the Tide.
? Welch's four assists (all off corners) currently leads the Tide.
? Welch picked up her first career assist on Aug. 30 at Tennessee Tech, and had two of her corner kicks converted in the Tide's 3-2 overtime victory over LSU on Sept. 13. Her fourth converted corner came during the team's 2-0 victory over Jacksonville State on Sept. 20.
LOOKING AHEAD
? Following this weekend's action, the Tide will again spilt a pair of home and road matches, first traveling to Athens to face Georgia, before returning home to square off with Missouri on Sunday. Opening kick for the Tide and Bulldogs is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT, while the Tide and Bulldogs will begin at 7 p.m. CT. Both matches will be broadcast live on SECN+.
