Alabama
Auburn
Alabama Soccer Travels to Auburn for Regular Season Finale on Thursday
10/24/2018 12:41:00 PM | Soccer
The Crimson Tide will play the Tigers at 8 p.m. on the SEC Network
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama soccer team will conclude the 2018 regular season on Thursday night when it plays Auburn at the Auburn Soccer Complex at 8 p.m. CT. The Crimson Tide enters the regular season finale with an overall 8-7-3 record including a 2-5-2 mark in Southeastern Conference play. Thursday's match will broadcast on the SEC Network.
ALABAMA BY THE NUMBERS
Through the first 10 games of the regular season, Alabama posted a 6-3-1 mark, including a five-game win streak.
The 1-0 upset over the Texas A&M Aggies on Oct. 18, marked the first time in program history the Tide recorded a victory over a top-five ranked team.
Alabama holds an edge over its opponents this season scoring 12 more goals than the opposition (36-24), while launching 55 more shots (294-239), and putting 29 more shots on goal (136-107) than its foes. The Tide averages 2.00 goals per game and 16.3 shots per game.
In 1533:32 minutes of play, goalkeeper Alex Plavin has turned in 1.29 goals against average and has registered 71 saves and six shutouts.
LAST WEEK'S RECAP
The match against Georgia Sunday marked the third double overtime contest that has ended in a draw for the Tide this season.
Alabama came out strong in the early minutes of the second half and was rewarded in the 48th minute, as sophomore Brynn Martin chipped the ball to teammate Kaley Verpaele for a header into the net.
After 110 minutes of play the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
ROAD TO ORANGE BEACH
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.
The top-10 teams in the SEC will advance to the SEC Tournament in Orange Beach.
Alabama currently is listed at No. 12, with eight points in the conference.
Auburn ranks No. 9, respectively with 10 points.
Alabama needs to win the upcoming match against Auburn to have an opportunity in advancing to the SEC Tournament in Orange Beach.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
This season Alabama has shown depth in its roster, with 14 different players scoring and tallying assists in the 18 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 (62).
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.
BOSWELL BOUND TO BREAK PROGRAM RECRODS
Senior Abbie Boswell is a few shot attempts shy of breaking multiple all-time career records at the University of Alabama.
Boswell, who transferred from Ball State after her freshman year has consistently led the team in shot attempts over the past three years.
She is currently one-shot behind from tying for the most shots on goal in a season in program history, at 33 shots on goal, while former standout, Pia Rijsdijk (2011-2014), stands with 34 shots on goal.
The forward is also on track to break the program's career shots on goal record, as Boswell currently places third on the chart (86), and only needs eight more shots on goal to break the all-time career record of 94, set by Libby Probst (2002-2005).
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.
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.
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.
The Alabama women's soccer team earned its first win over a top-five ranked opponent in program history, with a 1-0 shutout victory over No. 5 Texas A&M on Oct. 18. Junior Nealy Martin scored her second goal of the season in the 79th minute, thanks to a flawless pass from sophomore Taylor Morgan. The victory marked Alabama's sixth shutout of the season and was the second top-10 victory of the Wes Hart era.
IN THE SEC
In the conference statistics, the Tide ranks fourth in shots (294), and fifth in goals (36).
Individually, senior Abbie Boswell, jumps up four spots to place second in the league with shots and shots per game (67).
Sophomore Casey Wertz is tied for fifth in goals at eight.
At 71 saves, sophomore Alex Plavin, rounds out the top-three in saves, while Auburn places sixth at 61.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Thursday's match against Auburn marks the 26th meeting in history between the two squads, as Alabama trails the series, 7-16-2.
The last Alabama win against Auburn came in 2011, when the Tide outscored the Tigers 3-2 in Tuscaloosa. The most recent meeting ended in the Tide falling 4-2 at home, on Oct. 10, 2017.
Alabama has a chance to win at Auburn, which has not been done in 20 years to the date. The last away win came on Oct. 25, 1998.
The Tigers enter Thursday's match owning a 11-5-1 overall record. In SEC play, Auburn dropped a 3-1 decision at Arkansas, leaving them 3-5-1 in SEC play.
Forward Bri Folds ranks fourth in the SEC for points (23), fifth in goals (8), and tied for eighth in shots (57).
Alyssa Malsonson leads the SEC in assists at eight.
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.
