Alabama
Campbell
Second Weekend Of Play; Alabama Soccer Hosts Before Traveling For Match
8/25/2016 1:47:00 PM | Soccer
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama soccer team remains at home for the third match of the season, as it hosts the Campbell Camels on Friday, Aug. 26, at 7 p.m. CT at the Alabama Soccer Complex. The Crimson Tide will then travel to Chattanooga, Tenn., for its second match of the weekend, where it will take on the Chattanooga Mocs on Sunday, Aug. 28, at noon CT at the Finley Soccer Stadium. Â
Follow This Weekend's Games
Live Stats: Friday - rolltide.com       Sunday – gomocs.com
Radio: Friday/Sunday - N/A
Watch: Friday – SEC Network +     Sunday – N/A
Twitter: @Alabama Soccer
PROMOTIONS
Admission is free for all fans and students. Friday night's match is being promoted as a Luau/Greek night, as all fans in attendance are encouraged to wear a Hawaiian shirt. All members of a Greek affiliation will receive Greek points. At halftime of the match Alabama staff and faculty will be recognized for their impact they have on the soccer program. There will also be a giveaway of Alabama leis for those in attendance
STRONG START TO 2016 SEASON
Alabama started the 2016 regular season strong, as it registered two decisive home victories over Sam Houston State, 5-0, and Murray State, 4-2. Last weekend marks the first time since the 2012 season the Tide has recorded victories in each of its first two matches to begin a season. Moreover, following the 5-0 victory over Sam Houston State, Alabama has scored nine goals in its first two contests which is the most goals to begin a campaign since scoring 11 goals to start the 2004 season (defeated Alabama A&M 7-0 followed a 4-0 win vs. Birmingham Southern).
Sophomore Tori Gann led the Tide offensively against Sam Houston on Aug. 19, as she tallied two goals on the day. Both of Gann's goals came in the first half, and senior Auburn Mercer provided first half contributions as well, as she converted in the 36th minute to give Alabama a 3-0 lead going into halftime. Nine minutes into the second half, at the 54:30 minute mark, sophomore Emma Welch drilled a shot in the right side of the net to extend the Tide lead to 4-0. Junior Lacey Clarida scored the Tide's final goal of the game in the 68th minute on a through ball that came from senior Jordan Meier to lengthen the lead to 5-0. The 5-0 win vs. Sam Houston State marks the largest margin that Alabama has won by in a season opener dating back to the 2011 season, when the Tide defeated Kennesaw State in a 7-1 decision on Aug. 19, 2011.
Clarida also scored a pair of goals, while sophomore Abbie Boswell added a goal and an assist to lift the Alabama soccer team past the Murray State Racers in a 4-2 decision on Aug. 21. The Tide registered all four of its goals in the second half and featured multiple goal scorers for the second time this season. Alabama trailed 2-0 going into halftime, but that didn't stop the offensive explosion that was to come. Clarida's pair of goals came in the 49th and 79th minute, and freshman Logue Shamburger picked up her first career goal at Alabama in the 72nd minute. Boswell delivered the dagger for the Tide, as she registered her first career with the Tide at the 82:03 minute mark to result in the final score.
LEADING THE SEC
Alabama leads the Southeastern Conference in six major categories after just one weekend of play. The Tide leads the league in shots (62), goals (9), assists (8), points (26), goals per game (4.50) and assists per game (4.0). Alabama is tied for third with Vanderbilt in corner kicks with 19. Individually, the Tide has two players that are second in league play in four crucial offensive categories. Clarida is involved a four-way tie for goals (3) and goals per game (1.50), while Boswell is tied with Arkansas's Alexandra Fischer for assists (3) and assists per game (1.50).
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 62-15 margin and it has compiled nine goals compared to the opponents two. Alabama has tallied eight assists limiting its opponents to one, and it has picked up 26 total points while holding its opponents to just five points. The Tide also dominates the corner kick category, where it has a substantial lead on the opposition, 19-2. Â
SERIES HISTORY – CAMPBELL
When Alabama takes on the Campbell Camels on Friday, it will mark the first time the two teams have faced off in program history. The Camels finished last season with an overall 14-7 record. Last weekend, Campbell defeated Davidson and American by a 1-0 and 4-1 margin, respectively. Campbell enters Tuscaloosa with a 2-0 record.Â
SERIES HISTORY – CHATTANOOGA
Sunday's match against Chattanooga will mark the sixth time the two programs have competed against each other. Alabama has dominated the series by a 4-1 margin. The Tide's lone loss to the Mocs came back in Sept. 4, 2012, when it dropped a 2-1 decision in overtime. Last weekend, Chattanooga fell to Kennesaw State, 1-0, before going on to beat Alabama A&M, 8-0.
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.
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.
COMING UP
Next weekend, the Tide will travel to the state of Florida for a pair of games. Alabama will begin the weekend in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Sept. 1, to take on South Florida (USF) at 6 p.m. CT, before traveling to Fort Meyers, Fla., on Sunday, Sept. 4, to face Florida Gulf Coast (FGCU) at noon 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.
