Alabama Soccer Opens Season Thursday at Home Against Jacksonville State

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama soccer team opens the season Thursday against Jacksonville State at the Alabama Soccer Stadium. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. CT and will be streamed on SEC Network+.

How to Follow

Coverage of the game is available via the ESPN app and WatchESPN.com for subscribers of the SEC Network. Links to live scoring and the stream are available at RollTide.com.

Promotions

A student tailgate, courtesy of Whataburger, Dominos, The Crimson, Weeks of Welcome and University Programs, will be set up outside the Alabama Soccer Stadium an hour prior to the match. The first 200 students will receive free food and a t-shirt.

It all starts tomorrow.. ?????? #RollTide pic.twitter.com/R5Rj52xu4b
— Alabama Soccer (@AlabamaSoccer) August 19, 2021

The Series

Thursday's season opener will be the 11^th meeting between the two squads with Alabama holding a 10-0 record
It is the second meeting in three years with the last game occurring in September 2019
Alabama won that meeting on the road, 3-0

A Look at the Tide

Alabama welcomes 14 new faces to the program while returning 15 from the 2020-21 squad
The Tide returns leading goal scorer Felicia Knox (4) and assist leaders Macy Clem and Kat Rogers (4 each)
Knox also led the team in points with 10 while Clem ranked second with eight
Additionally, the team returns last season's starting goalkeeper McKinley Crone who posted five shutouts, which ties for sixth in program history, and 77 saves
Alabama added three transfers to its roster over the summer, welcoming Brooke Bollinger (Florida State), Ashlynn Serepca (Virginia) and Riley Tanner (South Carolina) to the squad

A look at Jacksonville State

The Gamecocks finished the shortened 2020-21 season with a 4-5-1 record
Three JSU returners earned All-Ohio Valley Conference honors last season with Alicia Pallister being recognized as OVC Midfielder of the Year, while Gabriel Clarke earned first-team honors and Cynthia Bagozzi earned second-team honors
Pallister led the team in points with 14, scoring three goals and tallying a team-leading eight assists
Bagozzi topped the team in goals, posting four on the year
In net, Morgan Lerch started seven games, posting 37 saves and one shutout

2020-21 review

The Tide notched seven wins during the 2020-21 season, including a road win against No. 15 Auburn
The team reached a season-high ranking of No. 15
Alabama made its 13^th SEC Tournament appearance and its fourth appearance in five years
Riley Mattingly was named Second Team All-SEC, while Knox earned SEC Freshman honors

Get all the latest information on the team by following @AlabamaSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. General athletic news can be found at @UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and @AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.

–UA–