LIVE STATS vs. Alabama
LIVE STATS vs. Alabama State
JACKSONVILLE - The Jacksonville State soccer team will usher in the 2017-18 athletic year this weekend, traveling to Alabama on Friday and opening the home schedule on Sunday, hosting Alabama State.
Friday's match in Tuscaloosa at the UA Soccer Complex is set for 7 p.m. JSU's home opener on Sunday will get underway at 1 p.m. at the JSU Soccer Field. Admission is free to all home matches.
After reporting to campus on August 1 and battling through a rigorous preseason camp, the Gamecocks are anxious to officially get the 2017 season underway. The Gamecocks battled UAB in a friendly last Friday as a tune up for the campaign. Entering his fifth season in charge of the soccer program at Jax State,
Neil Macdonald had to mold a balance of returning players and a host of new faces in to a cohesive group as the season gets started with two quality opponents.
With just two seniors in goalkeeper
Caroline Robinson and forward
Kayla Thompson, the majority of the preseason sessions have been about blending in a large sophomore and freshman classes. Macdonald has praised the veterans for taking on leadership roles.
Robinson begins her fourth season manning the net as the Hendersonville, Tennessee native ranks among JSU's all-time leaders in career saves and shutouts. Robinson enters her final campaign with 249 career stops, which ranks her fourth all-time in the program. She also ranks third all-time at JSU in career shutouts with 10.5. Thompson has steadily improved from the first day she arrived at JSU from Brandon, Mississippi. Thompson has played in over 50 matches since her freshman season in 2014 and has accumulated over 50 shots. Last season, she ranks among the team leaders in total shots with 35. Thompson posted a pair of goals as a junior, including one in Ohio Valley Conference action.
Headlining a strong sophomore class will be
Cheyenne Carden, who claimed a spot on the OVC's All-Newcomer Team after a solid freshman season. The Huntsville, Alabama product shared the team lead in goals-scored with three and she was also credited with an assist. Rising sophomore
Nadia Plawiuk matched Carden with three goals on 10 total shots.
Danielle Monroe, another member of the 10-member sophomore class, led the Gamecocks in shots last season with 39 and scored a pair of goals as a freshman. Jax State also returns experienced players
Madison Carruthers and
Claire Petersen. Carruthers played in 18 matches and logged over 1,190 minutes of action. Petersen started all 19 games last season and tallied a pair of goals on 24 total shots.
Friday's lid-lifter against the Crimson Tide will be the eighth meeting between the two sides on the pitch with UA claiming the first seven duels. The Gamecocks and UA will be facing each other for the third time in the last four seasons. The two clubs met during the 2015 season with UA collecting a 2-0 win over JSU. The Crimson Tide is coming off a 9-8-2 season in 2016 and finished the Southeastern Conference slate at 4-5-2. A win over UA would be Jax State's fifth win over an SEC program as the Gamecocks have a pair of wins over Auburn and Mississippi State.
The Hornets of Alabama State will swarm Jacksonville after facing Ole Miss in Oxford on Friday night. ASU, a 2016 NCAA Tournament participant after winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference last season, finished the season 11-10-1. JSU and ASU have met for the last three seasons with last season's contest halted due to lightning in the Montgomery area before the game was considered official by the NCAA. JSU does not have a blemish on its record against the Hornets as it has won all six meetings.
For more information on the JSU soccer team, follow the Gamecocks on Twitter (@JSUSoccer). For more on all Gamecocks sports teams, follow the official social media accounts of JSU Athletics on Twitter (@JSUGamecocks), Facebook (Facebook.com/JSUGamecocks), Instagram (@JSUGamecocks) and Snapchat (@JSUGamecocks).
