Alabama
Texas A&M
Alabama Soccer Hosts No. 5 Texas A&M on the SEC Network
10/17/2018 4:39:00 PM | Soccer
The Crimson Tide will face the Aggies on Thursday at 6 p.m. CT for its last home match of the season
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama women's soccer will wrap up its conference home slate against the Texas A&M Aggies on Thursday at 6 p.m. CT at the Alabama Soccer Complex. Thursday marks the annual Power of Pink match, which helps raise awareness in the fight against breast cancer. Admission to home games is free for all fans, and the contest will air on SEC Network.
Thursday vs. Texas A&M (6 p.m. CT on SEC Network)
ACTIVITIES
- Power of Pink
GIVEAWAYS
- Power of Pink T-Shirt & Shakers
ALABAMA BY THE NUMBERS
• The Crimson Tide is 7-7-2 and 1-5-1 in SEC play.
• Alabama holds an edge over its opponents this season scoring 11 more goals than the opposition (34-23), while launching 69 more shots (270-201), and putting 28 more shots on goal (123-95) than its foes. The Tide averages 2.12 goals per game and 16.9 shots per game.
• In 1333:32 minutes of play, goalkeeper Alex Plavin has turned in 1.42 goals against average and has registered 60 saves and five shutouts.
• Alabama was picked to finish eighth in the SEC by a vote of the league's head coaches. The Tide had five players who were selected to the SEC Preseason Watch List: Forwards Abbie Boswell and Casey Wertz along with midfielders Christina Maartensson, Taylor Morgan and Emma Welch.
LAST WEEK'S RECAP
• Alabama recorded its fifth shutout of the season in a double overtime draw, 0-0, against Florida on Oct. 14. The last time Alabama has not allowed Florida to score a goal dates back to 2012.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
• This season Alabama has shown depth in its roster, with 14 different players scoring and tallying assists in the 16 games played.
• Leading the team in goals (8) and points (16), is sophomore Casey Wertz, who accumulated two more goals on Oct. 4, against Kentucky.
• Senior Abbie Boswell leads the team in assists (6) and shots (57).
• Rounding out the top three in points (10), is freshman Kat Rogers (4g, 2a), who racked up two goals and two assists in the 5-1 win over South Alabama.
• The 5-0 shutout over Troy on Sept. 9, was a big day for redshirt-freshman Gigi Schorr, as she recorded her first career goal, but did not stop there and tallied two more goals for a hat trick.
NON-CONFERENCE CAMPAIGN
• The Tide completed a seven-game homestand to start the season. Sporting a record of 5-2 over the stretch, and a 6-2 non-conference record.
• The Tide outscored its opponents 26-9, outshot its non-conference foes 177-101 and put 79 shots on frame to their opponents' 51.
• Goalkeeper Alex Plavin and the Alabama defense shutout four teams and allowed a total of only eight goals (0.89 goals per game).
• The only non-conference home loss came Aug. 24, when the Tide fell to FGCU, 4-2. Even with FGCU scoring four goals, Plavin made a career-high nine saves in the losing effort.
• Perhaps Alabama's best non-conference match was against Troy on Sept. 9. The Crimson Tide shutout its third opponent of the season 5-0, allowing only three shots on goal for Trojans. Gigi Schorr completed a hat trick, scoring three goals. Abbie Boswell scored the remaining two to lead the Tide, and Emma Welch broke the program's career assists record, totaling 21 assists.
2018 SEC PLAY
• The Crimson Tide snapped its five-game win streak on Sept. 13, falling 1-0, to Ole Miss in the SEC opener.
• The Tide has been outscored, 15-8, but has put up just seven fewer shots than its opponents, 93-100.
• Alabama fell to the SEC leader Vanderbilt, on Sept. 20, 3-2. The Commodores scored late in the first half, but Alabama got on the board in the 59th minute when sophomore Casey Wertz scored her sixth goal of the season to tie the game. Both teams scored in the 71st minute of the game, including senior Emma Welch's second goal of the season. Vanderbilt scored one last time to finalize the game.
• After 90 minutes of hard-fought defense, the Tide fell to Arkansas on Sept. 23, 1-0.
• Alabama fell to LSU 2-0 on Sept. 27, as the Tiger's struck a goal in each half. Following the Tide's efforts in Baton Rouge, senior Abbie Boswell landed second place in the league for shots and shots per game (17), after launching eight shots, four being on goal.
• Alabama picked up its first SEC win on Oct. 4, outscoring Kentucky 4-3, in a thrilling match. Senior Casey Wertz scored two goals, including the game winner goal, which senior Christina Maartensson and sophomore Taylor Morgan each tallied a goal on the night.
• The Tide traveled to Mississippi State on Oct. 7, falling 5-0. The Tide rallied to score the final two goals of the game. Freshman Riley Mattingly scored her first career goal, and junior Tori Gann scored her first goal of the season.
IN THE SEC
• In the conference statistics, the Tide rounds out the top-10 in shots (93), goals (8), and saves (29).
• Individually, senior Abbie Boswell, ranks sixth in the league with shots and shots per game (20).
• Senior Emma Welch and freshman Kaitlyn Madden are tied for tenth place in the conference for assists (2).
• At 28 saves, sophomore Alex Plavin, rounds out the top-five in saves and saves per game, while Texas A&M lands sixth place with one less save.
COACHES CORNER
• Coach Wes Hart on Texas A&M: "It is crunch time now. It is do or die for us. We have an incredible opportunity, it is not everyday that you get to play teams that are ranked. We know a win goes a long way, in terms of increasing our SEC tournament bid. We know we have a lot to play for and are certainly excited. We are happy it is at home. It is always nice to play in front of a home crowd, and to get them away from their home stadium because they are tough to beat at home."
SCOUTING THE AGGIES
• Thursday's match against Texas A&M marks the 10th meeting in history between the two squads, as Alabama trails the series, 2-7-0. The most recent meeting ended in Alabama falling 2-0 at Texas A&M, on Oct. 5, 2017.
• The No. 5 ranked opponent enters Thursday's match owning a 14-1-1 overall record. In SEC play, the Aggies have won three consecutive matches, as they sport a 5-1-1 record.
• The Aggies lead the conference in goals (18) and place second in points (41), thanks to forwards Ally Watt and Asdis Halldorsdottir.
• Texas A&M is the only team in the nation with at least 10 wins by two or more goals.
COMING UP
• Alabama hits the road for its last pair of conference matches at Georgia on Sunday, Oct. 21, at 1 p.m., followed by taking on Auburn away on Thursday, Oct. 25, at 1 p.m.
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.
