Alabama Soccer to Host Auburn Thursday on SEC Network
9/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama returns to Tuscaloosa to square off against intrastate rival Auburn in a nationally-televised contest on Thursday night at the Alabama Soccer Complex. Thursday night's match is the third in a stretch of nine consecutive conference matches to close out the 2015 regular season.
FOLLOW THE TIDE
Fans can watch/follow Thursday's match via the below outlets:
Watch: SEC Network
Glenn Davis (play-by-play), Heather Mitts (analyst)
Gametracker: RollTide.com
Radio: 90.7 WVUA-FM
Twitter: @AlabamaSoccer
THE OPENING KICK
? The Crimson Tide enters Thursday night's match following a pair of tough road conference matches over the weekend. Despite carrying a 2-0 lead into halftime on Friday, Sept. 25 at Ole Miss, the Tide surrendered three second-half goals to the Rebels and was defeated by a final score of 3-2 at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium. Squaring off against its first top-25 opponent of the season on Sunday, Sept. 27, Alabama fell to the South Carolina Gamecocks by a final score of 3-0 at the Eugene E. Stone III Soccer Stadium in Columbia, S.C.
? Alabama enters this weekend having won three of its last four home matches over the team's most recent homestand at the Alabama Soccer Complex. The Tide knocked off LSU and Southern Miss to begin the stretch, before splitting a pair of matches vs. nationally-ranked Kentucky and Jacksonville State. Alabama has gone 4-1-1 at home this season, with its lone loss coming against No. 26 Kentucky on Sept. 18 (1-0).
? 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 12 games to begin the season. Jimenez currently leads the team in points (nine) and goals (four), and has collected the game-winning goal in two of the Tide's four victories.
? Following Thursday night's match vs. Auburn, the Tide will be idle over the weekend for the first time this season. Alabama's next match is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 9 in College Station, Texas as the Crimson Tide will square off against conference-rival No. 16 Texas A&M. The match between the Tide and Aggies is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on SECN+.
SERIES HISTORY: AUBURN
? Auburn leads the all-time Iron Bowl of soccer, 13-7-2, winning three consecutive head-to-head meetings and eight of the last nine overall.
? Alabama is seeking its first win over Auburn since Oct. 28, 2011, as the Tigers have reeled off three consecutive victories against the Tide.
? The Crimson Tide owned the upper hand in the early years of the rivalry, winning five straight from 1995-99, losing just two matches over the first eight all-time meetings.
? Auburn handed the Tide its first road loss of the 2014 season in the two team's most recent meeting on Oct. 26 last season. The Tigers struck in the 91st minute to defeat the Tide by a final score of 1-0 in extra time.
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 12 games to begin the season.
? Jimenez currently leads the team in points (nine) 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.
WELCH ASSISTING
? Twelve 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.
LUTZENKIRCHEN LOGGING MINUTES
? Senior captain Abby Lutzenkirchen has played 6,062 minutes in an Alabama uniform following the conclusion of Sunday's game at South Carolina.
? The three-year letter winner has started all 69 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 seven 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 in its last home match 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 fifth-highest single-game shot total in the history of the Alabama women's soccer program.
? The previous weekend vs. LSU and Southern Miss (both home matches), 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.
LOOKING AHEAD
? Following Thursday night's match vs. Auburn, the Tide will be idle over the weekend for the first time this season. Alabama's next match is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 9 in College Station, Texas as the Crimson Tide will square off against conference-rival No. 16 Texas A&M. The match between the Tide and Aggies is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on SECN+.
