Alabama
Tennessee
Alabama Soccer Travels To Tennessee To Begin Southeastern Conference Play
9/8/2016 12:57:00 PM | Soccer
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama soccer team officially begins Southeastern Conference play on Friday when it travels to Knoxville, Tenn., to take on the Tennessee Volunteers at 6 p.m. CT at the Regal Soccer Stadium.
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Live Stats: RollTide.com     Â
Radio: N/A
Watch: SEC Network+
Twitter: @Alabama Soccer
CONTINUING THE STRONG START
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, registering a 4-0 record to begin the season. Last weekend, the Crimson Tide was topped by No. 20 USF, 1-0, before it went on to shutout Florida Gulf Coast, 1-0, to improve to an overall 5-1 record. The 1-0 shutout over FGCU marks the fourth shutout of the season, which is the most shutouts through the first six games of a campaign since the 2012 season. The Tide's 5-1 record is also the best start since the 2012 season (5-1). Through the first three weekends of play the Tide has collected four shutouts, compared to the six it compiled last season. With a win on Friday, the Tide will improve to an overall 6-1 record marking the best start since the 2005 campaign.
BOSWELL/CLARIDA COMBO
Alabama's explosive offensive has received national attention, as two student-athletes ranked in the top-five in the country in three difference major offensive categories. Junior Lacey Clarida is tied for third in the NCAA in game-winning goals with three and is tied for fifth in total goal recording six this season. Sophomore Abbie Boswell is in an 11-way tie for the total assists as she has picked up five this season. Clarida is tied for 10th place in total points, as she has collected 13 on the year.
LEADING THE SEC
Alabama leads the Southeastern Conference in two major categories after the third weekend of play. The Tide's high paced offense leads the league in shots with 132 and in shutouts compiling, four this season. Clarida and Boswell are second goals and assists in the conference collecting six and five, respectively. Clarida is also second in the league in game-winning goals with three, while junior goalkeeper Kat Stratton is second in goals against average with a slim 0.53 per game. Stratton has also recorded three shutouts between the posts this season, which ranks 11th in the country.
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 132-48 margin and it has compiled 15 goals compared to the opponents three. Alabama has tallied 13 assists limiting its opponents to two, and it has picked up 43 total points while holding its opponents to just eight points. The Tide also dominates the corner kick category, where it has a substantial lead on the opposition, 42-11. With last weekend's shutout against Florida Gulf Coast, Hart has registered ten shutouts since he arrived to Tuscaloosa.
SERIES HISTORY – TENNESSEE
Friday's match against Tennessee marks the 19th time in program history the two have faced each other, as Alabama trails the series 5-12-1. Last year, the Tide lost to the Volunteers in a 3-1 decision in Tuscaloosa. In 2014, Alabama defeated Tennessee, 1-0, in double-overtime in Knoxville, Tenn., before being outlasted by the Volunteers, 3-2, in the SEC Tournament in Orange Beach, Ala. Tennessee enters Friday's match with an overall 3-3 record.
SEC OPENERS
In SEC openers Alabama has a 12-10-2 record, and in SEC road openers the Tide has a 7-14-3 record. Last year, Alabama defeated LSU, 3-2, in double-overtime in its league opener.
COMING UP
The Tide will travel to Birmingham, Ala., on Tuesday, Sept.13, to take on Samford at 7 p.m. CT. Conference play will continue for Alabama on Sunday, Sept. 18, when it travels to Lexington, Ken., to take on Kentucky in a match that is to be broadcasted on the SEC Network at 4 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.
