Alabama Soccer Will Play Final SEC Home Game vs. UGA
10/20/2004 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
 |
|
The Alabama soccer team, fresh off a milestone weekend, will embark on its most important weekend of the year and final full weekend of SEC play beginning Friday night at home against the Georgia Bulldogs and culminating Sunday at Tennessee.
With three games left on the SEC schedule, the Crimson Tide (8-8, 4-4) is tied for fourth place in the conference with 12 points and finds itself right in the thick of the playoff race. Alabama is trying to qualify for the SEC tournament for the first time since 1998.
This past weekend the Tide considerably helped its own cause, sweeping a weekend road trip in the SEC for the first time since 1998 with wins over LSU and Arkansas. The wins also grabbed the attention of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. This week Alabama is ranked 10th in the Southeastern Region by NSCAA.
Alabama head coach Don Staley also achieved a career milestone over the weekend, earning his 300th career victory. The Tide’s Gillian Kilburn was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week as well for her two-goal performance against Arkansas.
“I’m pleased with our performance on the road,” said Staley, “and hopefully this will give us some momentum heading into this weekend. These are two outstanding programs that we will play with playoff implications on the line. It’s an important stretch for us.”
Alabama has won three of its last four games to position itself for a run at the postseason. This weekend however, the Tide will face a Georgia (4-7-4, 2-4-2 SEC) team that is in a similar position and a win would be significant for both squads. The game is also Alabama’s final SEC home game of the season. The Tide won the last meeting between the two teams, a 4-1 win in Athens, Ga. in 2002.
Sunday Alabama will roll into Tennessee (11-2-2, 8-0 SEC) to face the eighth ranked team in the nation. The Vols have won every game in the conference this season and clinched the SEC Eastern Division crown last weekend.
Coach Staley encourages fans and the student body to turn out and throw their support behind the Crimson Tide. Alabama is 4-1 all-time at home before a crowd more than 1,000. Staley believes the excitement and crowd noise that surrounded games with Florida and Ole Miss earlier this season contributed to his team’s stellar play.
“I would encourage the community to come out and support these deserving student-athletes and help us generate an exciting atmosphere,” said Staley. “There’s no question that crowd support against Florida and Ole Miss created a home field advantage for us and I hope that the Alabama faithful will be on hand to see this exciting match.”
