Alabama
Georgia
Alabama Soccer Hosts Georgia Thursday Night on SEC Network
10/12/2016 2:09:00 PM | Soccer
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama soccer team is set to host Southeastern Conference foe Georgia on Thursday at the Alabama Soccer Complex in a match that will be televised nationally on the SEC Network at 6 p.m. CT. Thursday's match will serve as the Crimson Tide's annual Power of Pink match and Senior Night, as Alabama will recognize its three seniors for their contributions prior to the match. Alabama enters the weekend with an overall 7-6-1 record and a 2-4-1 mark in league play.
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PROMOTIONS
Admission is free for all fans and students. Thursday night's match is Alabama's annual Power of Pink match, as the Tide will wear pink uniforms to pay tribute to those who have passed away because of the disease and those who are currently fighting it. At halftime, the Tide will recognize those who are currently battling breast cancer. The match on Thursday will mark the third of the four 'Experience Thursday Nights Under the Lights' matches, and students that attend will be able to receive double Crimson Tide Rewards points. The first 100 fans that arrive to the Alabama Soccer Complex will get a Power of Pink shirt and a shaker.
2016 SENIOR CLASS
Alabama's three seniors; Caroline Alexander, Jordan Meier and Auburn Mercer, will be recognized before Thursday's match for their contributions throughout their career. This trio has used their experience and leadership to help orchestrate a resurgence within the Alabama Soccer program that has been seen over the last two years. Behind their leadership, the team has reached goals that have not been accomplished in a number of years and are laying a solid foundation for the future of the Crimson Tide program. The talented threesome helped lead Alabama to an appearance in the SEC tournament in Orange Beach, Ala. in 2014, which marked the first time Alabama has made the post season tournament since the 2011 season. Earlier this season, the three played a vital role in upsetting then-No. 14 Texas A&M, 2-1, in a match that was decided in overtime.
Alexander, from Charlotte, N.C., serves as one of the team's captains this season. Throughout her career she has participated in a total of 57 games, and she has started in 40 of those matches. The solid defender has been a part of an Alabama team that has produced 15 shutouts during her career. Off the field, Alexander was named to the 2013 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll list. In the 2014 and 2015 seasons, she was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll lists. She was named to the President's List (4.0) in the fall of 2014, and she was named to the Dean's List in the fall of 2013 and 2015 and the spring of 2015 and 2016. Alexander is set to graduate this spring with a bachelor's degree in Public Relations.
Meier, a native of St. Peters, Mo., has played in 53 matches, and she has been on the field for the opening kick in 38 of those games. Meier has played a vital role and been a key player in the 15 shutouts recorded in her time spent with the Tide. She also tallied two goals in her career including one game-winning goal. Off the field, Meier was named to the 2013 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll list. Academically she continued to succeed, as she became a member of the 2014 and 2015 SEC Academic Honor Roll lists. She was named to the President's List (4.0) in the spring of 2013 and 2016, and the Dean's List in the fall of 2013 and the spring of 2014 and 2015. Meier is planning on graduating this spring with a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering and then continuing her education in grad school.
Mercer, who hails from Matthews, N.C., plays the role as the other team captain this season. In her four years spent at Alabama she has played in a total of 68 matches, and she has started 58 of those contests. The gifted senior tallied three goals in her career including one game-winning goal. Due to injuries Mercer has learned to adapt, as she came to the Capstone as a defender and she is currently playing for the Tide as a forward. Mercer was successful in the classroom, as she was named to the 2013 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll list. The success continued in Mercer's studies, as she was 2014 and 2015 SEC Academic Honor Roll Lists. She was named to the President's List (4.0) in the fall of 2014. Mercer is set to graduate this spring with a bachelor's degree in Human Performance Exercise Science.
SERIES HISTORY – GEORGIA
When Alabama and Georgia square off with each other on Thursday, it will mark the 20th meeting between the two schools in a series that dates back to the 1995 season. The Tide trails in the series 7-11-1. Prior to the Tide's most recent win streak, Georgia had won six straight games over Alabama capped by a 3-0 win during the 2010 season. In the last five meetings, Alabama has posted an impressive 4-0-1 mark against Georgia. Last year, the Tide defeated the Bulldogs, 1-0, in a match that was decided in double-overtime. Georgia enters Tuscaloosa with an overall 4-9-1 record including a 1-6 mark in league play.
SEASON CAPSULE
In the first two weekends of play, Alabama registered wins over Sam Houston State, 5-0, Murray State, 4-2, Campbell, 4-0 and Chattanooga, 1-0, earning a 4-0 record to begin the season. During the third weekend of play, the Crimson Tide was topped by No. 20 USF, 1-0, before it went on to shutout Florida Gulf Coast, 1-0. The 1-0 shutout over FGCU marked the fourth shutout of the season, which is the most shutouts through the first six games of a campaign since the 2012 season.
To begin Southeastern Conference play, Alabama topped the Tennessee Volunteers, 5-1, in Knoxville, Tenn. The win over Tennessee marks the first SEC road opener victory since the 2014 season, when the Tide defeated Tennessee in a 1-0 decision that went into double-overtime. Moreover, Alabama's win over the Volunteers was also significant in the fact that it marks the largest margin of victory in an SEC opener in program history. It's also the second largest margin of victory over an SEC opponent in program history, behind the 5-0 win over LSU in the 1997 season. With the Tennessee victory, Alabama improved to an overall 6-1 record marking the best start since the 2005 season.
The Tide lost to the Samford Bulldogs, 1-0, to conclude its non-conference portion of the schedule falling to an overall 6-2 record.
Alabama tied conference foe Kentucky, 1-1, in its second league match that went to double-overtime, moving the Tide's overall record to 6-2-1 and 1-0-1 in league play. The hour and 50 minute affair marked the first time since the 2005 season that Alabama and Kentucky played each other in a match that went into double-overtime.
The Tide registered its third loss of the season to then-No. 15 Arkansas, 2-1, in another match that was decided in sudden death overtime. Alabama played its third consecutive match that was decided in sudden death overtime when it upset No. 14 Texas A&M, 2-1. The win over the Aggies marked the first time the Tide has recorded a victory over a ranked Southeastern Conference opponent since the 2014 season. Moreover, it is Alabama's first time to defeat Texas A&M since the 1995 season. Additionally, it is the first win over a top-25 opponent since Hart has taken the reigns. The victory over Texas A&M also marked the seventh win of the season, making the Tide two wins shy of breaking into the program's top-10 single seasons wins list.
The weekend following the Texas A&M match, Alabama fell at Mississippi State, 1-0, in its lone match of the weekend. Last Thursday, the Tide lost to Ole Miss, 2-1, in Tuscaloosa, before falling to Missouri, 2-0, in Columbia, Mo., to conclude the weekend.
NATIONAL NUMBERS
Alabama's impressive play has earned national attention, as the team is ranked in the top 100 in many different major categories. The offense in particular has earned national notoriety, as it is ranked the No. 80 in scoring offense in the nation, averaging 1.79 goals per game. Alabama's 25 goals this season ranks No. 73 in the NCAA, while the Tide is ranked No. 93 in points per game, averaging 4.93. The offensive regime is also ranked No. 84 in the nation in total points with 69.
The Tide has three individuals who have earned national attention with their performances thus far this season. Junior Lacey Clarida is tied for No. 51 in the NCAA in game-winning goals with three. Sophomores Abbie Boswell and Emma Welch are tied for No. 37 in the country in total assists with six and they are also tied for No. 61 in assists per game, averaging 0.43. Boswell is No. 82 in total points with 18 so far this season.
LEADING THE SEC
Alabama ranks in the top five in three major offensive categories in the Southeastern Conference. The Tide is fifth in shots with 243, and the Alabama defense is fourth in goals allowed with 14. The Tide is fourth in goals against average (0.97).
Individually, the Tide has two student-athletes that are ranked in the top-five in two different categories. Clarida is fourth in game-winning goals with three. Defensively, Stratton is third in save percentage (0.803). In SEC play, Alabama's offense is fifth in shots (96).
The Tide's 2-4-1 mark in league play has it sitting in ninth place.
NCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER RPI
The 2016 Alabama soccer team is making a case to be mentioned among the most improved teams in NCAA Division I this season. After ending the 2015 season with only five total wins (5-12-2), the Crimson Tide has surpassed last year's win total as it boasts a record of 7-6-1 during the current campaign.
Alabama was ranked No. 89 in this week's RPI rankings marking the fourth time it has been in the top-100 this year. The first set of rankings that came out had the Tide at No. 75, and the second set had it at No. 51. Last week, the Tide was No. 69 in the RPI rankings. In comparison, Alabama finished with a No. 213 RPI ranking a year ago.
UNDER HEAD COACH WES HART
The Crimson Tide is in its second year under the helm of Wes Hart. Hart's inaugural season had a major focus on transition and the future of the program. Highlights from his inaugural season included Hart's first win as a head coach that came in the home opener against Troy (Aug. 23, 2015), handing Wake Forest its first shutout of the year (Aug. 28, 2015), giving LSU its first loss of the season (Sept. 11, 2015) in the 3-2 double overtime comeback win and a hard fought double overtime win at Georgia (Oct. 16, 2016), which marked Hart's first road win.
Home game attendance increased significantly in Hart's first season, as the Tide drew over 719 fans per game – the largest average since the 2012 season. The Alabama Soccer Complex saw a crowd of 1,575 for its first game against Troy (Aug. 23, 2015), the second-highest single-game home attendance in program history. Fans then answered the call to keep attendance in the quadruple digits later that week against Wake Forest (Aug. 28, 2015), when 1,007 fans packed the Soccer Complex.
The 5-0 victory against Sam Houston State marks Hart's first win in a season opener with the Tide. So far in Hart's second campaign, the Tide has outshot its opponents by an impressive 243-169 margin and it has compiled 25 goals compared to the opponents 14. Alabama has tallied 20 assists limiting its opponents to nine, and it has picked up 70 total points while holding its opponents to just 37 points. The Tide also dominates the corner kick category, where it has a substantial lead on the opposition, 78-49. With the shutout against Florida Gulf Coast, Hart has registered ten shutouts since he arrived to Tuscaloosa. Alabama defeated Tennessee, 5-1, to begin SEC play. The 5-1 decisive victory over Tennessee marks the largest recorded win over an SEC opponent in program history. With the win over Tennessee, Alabama improved to an overall 6-1 record marking the best start since the 2005 campaign (6-1). The victory also marks the first SEC road opener victory since the 2014 season, when the Tide defeated Tennessee in a 1-0 decision that went into double-overtime. Moreover, Alabama's win over the Volunteers was also significant in the fact that it marks the largest margin of victory in an SEC opener in program history. It's also the second largest margin of victory over an SEC opponent in program history, behind the 5-0 win over LSU in the 1997 season. Hart picked up his first career win over a top-25 opponent last Sunday, when Alabama registered an upset win over No. 14 Texas A&M in a match that was decided in sudden death overtime. Moreover, it is Alabama's first time to defeat Texas A&M since the 1995 season. Additionally, it is the first win over a top-25 opponent since Hart has taken the reigns. The victory over Texas A&M also marked the seventh win of the season, making the Tide two wins shy of breaking into the program's top-10 single seasons wins list.
COMING UP
Next weekend, Alabama will travel for a pair of road matches. The Tide is set to take on the Florida Gators on Thursday, Oct. 20, at 5 p.m. CT in Gainesville, Fla., before traveling to Baton Rouge, La., to face LSU on Sunday, Oct. 23, at 1 p.m. CT.
