Soccer opens season Friday at Alabama
8/18/2016 8:00:00 AM | Soccer
The Sam Houston State soccer program lost several key pieces from a season ago but new talent across the depth chart and a 3-2 exhibition win against Houston have led to a sense of excitement.
Sam Houston opens its 14th season in team history on Friday, visiting Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., for a 7 p.m. first kick on the SEC Network Plus. Two days later, the Kats return to open home play against UTSA at 6:30 p.m. from Pritchett Field.
“I think training has gone well,” ninth-year head coach Tom Brown said. “We have been really focusing tactically on how we want to play with so many young and new players within the team. I think there were things we could take for granted in past years that veteran players understood. Now, we have to make sure our new players are caught up to speed. I think they are doing well and responding.”
On Friday, the Bearkats showcased their new-look squad against the Cougars, jumping out to a 2-0 lead eight minutes in before using a match-winning, penalty-kick goal with just over one minute remaining. A season ago, Sam Houston scored three or more goals twice in 21 matches.
“I think we've got some more attacking personalities in this group,” Brown said. “I think it will be a young and exciting group. We'll have some growing pains but it's a long season as you go through non-conference and get to conference. We just want to make sure we're playing well as we get to November.”
Meanwhile, Alabama enters the 2016 season looking to rebound from a 5-12-2 season a year ago. The Tide ranked sixth in the Southeastern Conference in shutouts (0.32 average) but finished at the bottom of the league in goals per game.
Meanwhile, UTSA will visit Huntsville on Sunday seeking to avenge a 1-15-2 record a year ago. The Bearkats defeated the Roadrunners, 2-1, in the second game of the 2015 season with Allie Johnson adding a goal and Kylie Dick logging an assist.
“We definitely always appreciate playing in front of our fans, friends and family that come to support the team,” Brown said of Sunday's home opener. “We hope with this weekend being move-in weekend, we'll pull in some more fans. We hope some of those students will be excited to come see a sporting event on campus. We hope we'll be entertaining enough to bring them back in the future.”
Brown expects that Friday's exhibition not only provided confidence but a sense of relaxation for the players who will suit up in their first regular-season game against the Tide. The Bearkats played in front of more than 200 fans at Pritchett.
“I think overall we were pleased,” Brown said. “We talked about some things they need to correct. I thought they did a good job of identifying what the mistakes were on video and how to correct them. Hopefully now they've been through that, they'll recognize those situations and correct them moving forward.”
The first 100 students at Sunday's game will receive free Pizza Hut and free 3 Spoons Yogurt. It will also be the first opportunity for fans to pick up their official 2016 soccer posters.
