Alabama
Sam Houston St.
Alabama Soccer Begins 2016 Season With Two Home Matches
8/18/2016 4:11:00 PM | Soccer
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. –The Alabama soccer team will officially begin the 2016 season on Friday, Aug. 19, when it takes on the Sam Houston State Bearkats at 7 p.m. CT at the Alabama Soccer Complex. The Crimson Tide will turn around two days later, Sunday, Aug. 21, to face the Murray State Racers at 6:00 p.m. CT.
Friday's match will mark the first athletic competition of the 2016-17 Alabama athletic season. Admission is free for all fans and students, and freshmen will have the opportunity to enter to win a Go-Pro and a soccer ball signed by head coach Wes Hart.
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KICKING OFF 2016
The Tide went 1-0-1 in preseason exhibition play, as it registered a 2-1 victory over the Troy Trojans and a 2-2 tie against its conference rival No. 12 Auburn Tigers.
Against Troy, the Tide maintained a 1-0 lead until the 89th minute when Troy finally found its equalizer. However, just 22 seconds later, Lacey Clarida was awarded a penalty kick after being fouled inside the box. Abbie Boswell took the penalty and drilled it in the lower right side of the net for the game-winner.
Alabama struck first against Auburn and took a 1-0 lead going into halftime. In the 45th minute, Auburn found its equalizer from 15 yards out to tie the score at 1-1. The Tide responded back at the 55:23 mark taking a 2-1 lead, as sophomore Emma Welch converted a one-on-one breakaway. Auburn found its second equalizer of the game in the 80th minute. The contest marks the only time that the two will face each other this season.
UNDER HEAD COACH WES HART
The Crimson Tide enters 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.
NINE NEWCOMERS
The Crimson Tide welcomes nine newcomers to the squad in 2016, including eight freshman and one transfer. This year's roster features 10 upperclassmen, four seniors and six juniors. There are 15 spots held by underclassmen, seven of those are sophomores and eight of them are freshman.
Alabama started three newcomers during the preseason exhibition matches, freshmen Chloe Maize and Nealy Martin and sophomore transfer Abbie Boswell. Freshmen Keely Cartrett and Louge Shamburger made an appearance in both exhibition matches as well.
SERIES HISTORY – SAM HOUSTON STATE
When Alabama takes on Sam Houston State on Friday, it will mark the second time in program history that the two have faced each other. The Crimson Tide won its lone contest against Sam Houston State back on Sept. 21, 2003, defeating the Bearkats in a soundly fashion, 5-1. Out of the last five season openers Alabama has register a 3-2 mark, while Sam Houston State has posted a 2-3 record. The Tide has compiled a 3-2 record in its last five home season openers. The Bearkats finished with an overall 10-6-5 record last season.
SERIES HISTORY – MURRAY STATE
Sunday's match against the Racers will mark the first meeting between the two in program history. The Tide will take on a Murray State team that finished with a16-5 overall record and that made an appearance to the first round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
SEC PRESEASON WATCH LIST
Senior Celia Jimenez and sophomore Emma Welch were named to this year's Southeastern Conference preseason coaches poll as players to watch in the upcoming season. Jimenez led the team in points (10), goals (4), game-winning goals (2), shots (55) and shots on goal (18). Her 55 shots tied for the seventh-most in a season in program history. Those 55 shots were also the eighth-most shots taken by a player in the SEC. Welch led the team last season in assists (4) and tied for fourth with shots (24). Her best performance last season came with a game-winning goal and a pair of assists in the 3-2 double-overtime victory against LSU. She made the most starts by a freshman (17) on the team and was the only freshman to play in all 19 matches for the Tide. Welch's notable performances last season earner her a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team, making the first Alabama freshman to earn that honor since 2012.
COMING UP
The Tide will remain home for one more game following the Murray State match, as it plays host to the Campbell Camels on Friday, Aug. 26, at 7:00 p.m. CT.
Get all the latest information on the team by following AlabamaSoccer on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.
