Alabama
FGCU
Alabama Soccer Opens 2018 Home Slate with a Pair of Games this Weekend
8/23/2018 1:25:00 PM | Soccer
The Tide officially kicks off 2018-19 Alabama athletics home events on Friday night vs. FGCU
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama soccer team will begin a seven-game homestand this weekend with a pair of contests. The Crimson Tide will take on FGCU on Friday night at 7 p.m. CT, which will be the first home event of the 2018-19 Alabama athletics season, followed by hosting Kennesaw State Sunday at 6 p.m. CT. Both games will be played at the Alabama Soccer Complex and admission is free for all fans.
FRIDAY vs. FGCU (7 p.m. CT)
PROMOTIONS
- Free tacos for the first 150 fans in attendance
- Crimson Chaos sunglasses (Chaos members only)
SUNDAY vs. KENNESAW STATE (6 p.m. CT)
PROMOTIONS
- Poster-making, yard games
- Shootout, postgame autographs
ALABAMA BEGINS RECORD-TYING SEVEN GAME HOMESTAND WITH TWO GAMES THIS WEEKEND
• Alabama will play its first home games of the 2018 season when it hosts FGCU and Kennesaw State this weekend at the Alabama Soccer Complex. The contest with the Eagles kicks off a seven-game homestand, which matches the program record for consecutive games played on UA's home pitch.
• This year's stretch begins Friday, Aug. 24, against FGCU and will last through Sept. 13 when the Tide opens SEC play against Ole Miss.
• The only other time in program history that Alabama played seven consecutive home matches came in 2007. The Tide finished 5-1-1 over the stretch that season.
ONE MORE MEANS SCHOOL RECORD
• Senior Emma Welch needs just one assist to break the all-time career assist record at the University of Alabama.
• Welch, who was named a CoSIDA Academic All-American and earned a spot on the all-district and all-conference teams a year ago, has collected 19 career assists. Last season, she led the Tide with eight helpers on the year, which tied for second on the school's single-season assist chart.
• She is currently tied for the most assists in program history, matching the 19 career assists by former standout Libby Probst (2002-05).
ABOUT ALABAMA
• Head coach Wes Hart is looking to build off a stellar 2017 campaign, returning eight starters and 16 letterwinners from last season's team that finished with a 12-8-1 overall record.
• The 12 wins by Alabama was the third-most victories in a season in program history, highlighted by thrilling 1-0 win over then-No. 4 Florida State – the highest-ranked team the Tide has beaten in program history.
• Alabama earned an at-large berth to the 2017 NCAA Tournament, which marked its first NCAA appearance since 2011 and just the third in program history.
• Hart enters his fourth season at Alabama, with an improved record in each of his first three seasons at the helm of the program. He owns a career record of 26-29-6 (.458) over his four seasons, but is 21-17-4 (.549) since the 2016 campaign.
• 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.
ABOUT FRIDAY'S OPPONENT - FGCU
• Friday's contest against FGCU will mark the second meeting in series history. The Crimson Tide won the only other match played between the squads, taking a 1-0 victory at FGCU on Sept. 14, 2016 in Fort Myers, Fla.
• The Eagles bring a 1-0 record into Friday's matchup at Alabama, taking a 3-0 victory over Georgia Southern on Aug. 17. FGCU was supposed to take on 15th-ranked UCF on Sunday, but the game was cancelled due to inclement weather.
• Leading the offensive attack for FGCU is Preseason A-Sun Player of the Year Marjorie Boileson, who was named to the 2018 MAC Hermann Watch List. Last year, Boileson topped the A-Sun in both goals (11) and points (31) on her way to earning First Team All-Atlantic Sun and First Team United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region Team.
• FGCU is a heavy favorite to repeat as A-Sun Champions for the ninth straight year in 2018 after receiving eight of nine first-place votes in the preseason coaches' poll.
• The Eagles currently have the longest active conference championship streak in the nation and are slowly creeping up on the all-time mark of 15 set by Penn State from 1998-2012.
ABOUT SUNDAY'S OPPONENT - KENNESAW STATE
• Kennesaw State enters the weekend with a perfect 2-0 mark after opening weekend play. The Owls, who take on Troy on Friday night, opened with a 3-0 home victory over Western Carolina on Aug. 17 and followed that with a 1-0 win over Georgia State on Aug. 19.
• It is the first 2-0 start for Kennesaw State since 2010 and the first time it has posted consecutive shutouts to open a season for the first time since 2002.
• The Tide and Owls will square off for the sixth time in program history and second time in as many seasons when they meet on Sunday evening at the Alabama Soccer Complex. Alabama, which is riding a four-game winning streak against Kennesaw State, captured a 3-1 victory when the two teams met a year ago at KSU.
• Kennesaw State concluded the 2017 campaign with an 8-7-4 mark, including a 3-3-1 mark in A-Sun Conference play.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Tiffany Sornpao, who was voted to the A-Sun All-Freshman team a year ago, anchors the Owls' defense. She recorded back-to-back shutouts to start the year.
• Kennesaw State was picked to finish sixth in the A-Sun Conference preseason coaches' poll.
COMING UP
• Alabama continues its seven-game homestand when it welcomes Virginia Tech on Thursday, Aug. 30 at 7 p.m., followed by taking on Rice on Sunday, Sept. 2, at 7 p.m. Both contests can be seen on SEC Network +.
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.
