No. 3 Gamecocks open SEC play at home against Alabama
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) – No. 3 South Carolina women’s soccer (6-1-0) opens SEC play this week when it welcomes Alabama (7-1-0) to Stone Stadium on Fri., Sept. 15. Kickoff against the Crimson Tide is slated for 7 p.m. ET, and the match can be seen on SEC Network+ through WatchESPN. The Gamecocks enter league play as the defending champions after capturing the 2016 SEC Regular-Season Title with a conference mark of 11-0-0.
“We know the SEC is always difficult, whether you’re home or away,” according to head coach Shelley Smith. “Alabama has done a great job in their non-conference season. We’re excited to host them and have a good match in the SEC. We need to be ready to move the ball. At the end of the day, we have to do our job – put the ball in the back of the net and be smart defensively.”
The Crimson Tide enter Friday’s match on a five-game winning streak that began with a 1-0 victory over then-No. 6 Florida State on Aug. 27. Alabama sports a mark of 2-0 in true road contests this season, and Friday will be its second contest against a ranked opponent in 2017.
Junior midfielder Emma Welch leads the Crimson Tide in points (9) and assists (5), while junior forward Abbie Boswell and freshman midfielder Taylor Morgan are tied for the team lead with three goals. Welch’s five assists rank second in the SEC and 10th among NCAA Division I players for an Alabama team that is 22nd nationally in assists per match (0.63). Senior Kat Stratton, who has played all 723 minutes in net for the Crimson Tide this season, heads into this week’s contest with 25 saves and three shutouts on the year.
Carolina boasts an all-time record of 13-4-1 in the series between the two schools. The Gamecocks are unbeaten (3-0-1) in their last four matches against the Crimson Tide, and this week will be their first meeting against Alabama since they earned a 3-0 home victory back on Sept. 27, 2015. Carolina is 8-1-0 all-time in home games in the series.
USC Athletics contributed to the writing of this article.
