Alabama
Clemson
Alabama Soccer Faces Clemson in First Round of NCAA Tournament
11/9/2017 12:00:00 PM | Soccer
The Tide will battle against the Tigers on Friday, Nov. 10 at 6 p.m. CT
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – For the third time in program history, the Alabama women's soccer team will compete in the NCAA Soccer Tournament on Friday, Nov. 10 and is slated to face the Clemson Tigers at Historic Riggs Field. Kickoff is set at 6 p.m. CT.
FOLLOW THE TIDE ONLINE
Live Stats: Friday – ncaa.com
Radio: N/A
Watch: Clemson Athletics Facebook Live
Twitter: @Alabama Soccer
ROAD TO THE BIG DANCE
Alabama earned a berth to the 2017 NCAA Tournament after winning 12 games, which is the most wins recorded by the Tide in a single season since 2002, and securing a final RPI ranking at No. 28.
The Tide finished its non-conference slate with an 8-1 record including a key win against then-No. 6/4 Florida State. In conference play, Alabama capped the regular season off strong, winning four straight matches against SEC foes to secure a spot in the SEC Tournament.
THE CRIMSON TIDE IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Alabama first appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 1998 and fell to Texas A&M, 3-1, on Nov. 11. The Tide's second showing was in 2011, where the Tide dropped a double-overtime thriller, 3-2, to Miami (Fla.) on Nov. 12. Alabama held two leads for a total of 15:01 in the match before the Hurricanes notched the game-winner.
The Crimson Tide looks to make history on Friday, seizing its first victory in the NCAA Tournament in program history.
RECORD NINE SEC TEAMS EARN NCAA BIDS
An SEC record nine teams highlight the field of 64 that will be competing for the 36th NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship. The nine NCAA Tournament bids leads all conferences as the ACC earned eight bids, Pac-12 had seven and the Big Ten and Big 12 each had five.
The nine teams include Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, No. 3 seed Florida, Ole Miss, No. 1 seed South Carolina, Tennessee, No. 2 seed Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.
SEC TOURNAMENT RECAP
Despite a second half rally, the Alabama women's soccer team could not climb out of a two-score deficit and ended competition at the 2017 SEC Tournament in Orange Beach, Ala., on Sunday, Oct. 29, falling to the Missouri Tigers, 3-1.
In the opening minute of the match, Mizzou notched a goal and added to its advantage in the 27th minute for the 2-0 lead at halftime. In the 57th minute, the Tigers extended their lead by three, but senior Celia Jimenez Delgado cut their advantage by two in the 73rd minute. The Tide continued to apply the pressure, controlling the ball on Missouri's side of the pitch, but time ran out and Missouri came out on top.
Jimenez Delgado led Alabama's offense netting one goal on a pair of shots on target, while senior goalkeeper Kat Stratton made five saves in 90 minutes in the net.
2017 SEC PLAY
Alabama scored 11 goals against SEC opponents during the regular season and suffered four shutout losses to top-25 opponents South Carolina (3), Florida (6), Tennessee (25) and Texas A&M (19).
The Tide capped the regular season with a four-game win streak, which is the longest streak against SEC opponents since 1998.
Overall, the Tide has been outscored, 17-11, but has put up a whopping 157 shots, which ranked second in the conference, including a season-high of 44 against LSU (Sept. 21). Goalkeeper Kat Stratton has registered 31 saves in 842:44 minutes.
NON-CONFERENCE CAMPAIGN
Alabama wrapped up its 2017 non-conference tilt 8-1, which is the best non-conference performance in school history since 2002 when the Tide went 9-1.
The Tide outscored its opponents 20-8, outshot its non-conference foes 169-78 and put 76 shots on frame to its opponents' 35.
Goalkeeper Kat Stratton and the Alabama defense silenced four teams with a total of seven goals and held its opponents to 0.89 goals per game.
Alabama recorded its best non-conference match in the season opener against Jacksonville State where the Tide topped the Gamecocks, 5-1. Senior Chatham DeProspo led the Tide in scoring with two goals, while juniors Kayla Mouton and Emma Welch along with freshman Nicole Lyubenko all contributed one score apiece. The Tide put up 16 shots in the second half on the way to its four goals and eventually finished the night with 34 shots to the Gamecocks' five. Stratton made three saves in the effort.
ALABAMA BY THE NUMBERS
Alabama has held an edge over its opponents scoring five more goals than its contenders (31-26) while launching 114 more shots (337-223) and putting 47 more shots on goal (142-95) than its foes. The Tide averages 1.60 goals per game and 16.9 shots per game.
In 1746:14 minutes of play, goalkeeper Kat Stratton has turned in a 1.34 goals against average and has registered 64 saves and five shutouts.
BOSS-WELL LEADING THE HERD
Similar to last year, junior Abbie Boswell has emerged as the team's top goal scorer with eight on the year, tallying a pair of goals in three games this season against Troy (Sept. 3), Auburn (Oct. 10) and Missouri (Oct. 22).
The Illinois native has played in all 20 games this season and has amassed a team-high of 18 points.
At the end of the regular season, Boswell ranked amongst the top players in conference games in seven offensive categories including goals (t-4th), game-winning goals (t-4th), goals per game (t-5th), shots (9th), shots per game (9th), points (t-10th) and points per game (t-10th). Furthermore, Boswell was tied with 16 other student-athletes for the most goals scored in a conference match (2).
FRESHMEN TAKING THE LEAD
The Tide freshmen have made huge impacts on the team, scoring nine of Alabama's 31 goals, and eight freshmen have earned at least one start. Taylor Morgan ties for second on the team in goals (3) and ranks second in shots (41), while Casey Wertz sits second in goals (3) along with Morgan, ranks second on the team in shots on goal (21) and boasts the best shots on goal percentage after 20 games (.568).
Brynn Martin has played a crucial role in the Tide's back core, by helping Alabama blank six of its opponents and keep its foes to 1.30 goals per game. At the midway point of the season, Martin was recognized as one of the top 100 freshman to watch according to Topdrawersoccer.com as the site ranked her at No. 49.
THE TIDE LANDS THREE ON ALL-SEC LIST
After an outstanding regular season, Celia Jimenez Delgado, Emma Welch and Abbie Boswell earned all-conference honors, as announced by the league's office on Sunday, Oct. 29. Jimenez Delgado was named to the first team while Welch and Boswell were tabbed to the second team.
Jimenez Delgado snagged first team All-SEC honors for the first time in her career after serving as the team captain, knocking in two goals and assisting on six scores. Welch and Boswell both earned their first ever SEC postseason honors of their careers. Welch tallied two goals, delivered seven assists and totaled 11 points, while Boswell notched a team-high of eight goals and tallied a pair of goals in three games this season.
IN THE SEC
The Tide ranks inside the top-10 in nine categories including corners (3rd), shots (t-3rd), saves (6th), points (7th), goals (t-7th), assists (t-7th), assists per game (t-7th), goals per game (8th) and shutouts (t-10th). Furthermore, Alabama's 44-shot performance against LSU is a conference team-high, beating out Arkansas' 43 shots against Mississippi Valley State (Sept. 3).
Individually, junior Emma Welch is tied for fifth in assists (7) while Celia Jimenez Delgado is tied for 10th in the same category. Abbie Boswell is tied for 10th in shots per game (2.5) and seventh in goals (8). Lastly, Kat Stratton ranks fifth in saves (64), seventh in saves per game (3.37) and ranks 10th in shutouts (5).
IN THE RANKINGS
Alabama was ranked in several national polls for four straight weeks after its victory over Florida State on Aug. 27. The Tide first appeared on Soccer America's top-25 list at No. 24 on Aug. 29 and received its highest ranking on the Soccer America list on Sept. 12 after topping Kennesaw Tech and Tennessee Tech (No. 19). Alabama also received votes on TopDrawerSoccer.com's top-25 rankings and NSCAA's top-25 poll during the same time frame. In the final regular season national rankings, Alabama received one vote in the NSCAA coaches' poll.
In the latest NCAA Ratings Percentage Index, the Tide moved down two spots to No. 28.
In the final regular season regional rankings, UA ended the season at No. 9 on the NSCAA Southeast Region Poll.
Nationally, Alabama ranks inside the top 100 in nine categories including corner kicks per game (21st), shots per game (27th), shots on goal per game (59th), won-lost-tied percentage (78th), goals (83rd), points (89th), scoring offense (92nd), assists (95th) and points per game (98th).
Individually, Kat Stratton ranks 74th in the country in goalie minutes played (1746:14), while Emma Welch ranks 64th in the nation in total assists (7).
SERIES HISTORY – CLEMSON
Friday will mark the first time Alabama and Clemson will duke it out on the pitch. The Crimson Tide is 2-11 all-time against ACC schools after topping Florida State this season at the end of August.
Jenna Polonsky leads the Tigers with seven goals, four assists, 14 shots on goal and 18 points. In the net, Sandy Maclver has emerged as Clemson's go-to keeper, recording 55 saves and six shutouts in 1391:48 minutes.
The Tigers enter the first round of NCAA Tournament play with a 9-5-3 overall record and earned their fourth straight tournament berth in the last seven years under head coach Eddie Radwanksi. Clemson is 11-14-9 in the NCAA Tournament and will make its 18th all-time appearance.
COMING UP
If Alabama defeats the Tigers on Friday, the Crimson Tide will face either North Texas or the No. 4 seed, Texas, in the second round on Friday, Nov. 17.
Get all the latest information on the team by following @AlabamaSoccer on Twitter and Facebook and AlabamaSoccer on Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
