TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama soccer team will officially kick off the Crimson Tide's 2018-19 athletics season this weekend, traveling to the state of Texas for a pair of non-conference matchups. Alabama opens the season Friday night when it takes on the TCU Horned Frogs at 7 p.m. CT, followed by a contest at North Texas Sunday at 1 p.m. CT.

KICKING OFF 2018

• Alabama opens the 2018 season with a pair of games in the state of Texas. First, the Crimson Tide will take on TCU Friday night at 7 p.m. CT in Garvey-Rosenthal Stadium in the season-opener for both teams. Following that contest, Alabama will travel to take on North Texas Sunday at 1 p.m. CT at the Mean Green Soccer Complex.

• The Crimson Tide will play its first home game on Aug. 24, hosting FGCU at the Alabama Soccer Complex at 7 p.m. CT. The contest kicks off a seven-game homestand that will stretch from Aug. 24 through Sept. 13.

ALABAMA UPENDS NO. 25 TENNESSEE, 1-0, IN EXHIBITION PLAY

• In its lone exhibition contest of the season, Alabama defeated No. 25 Tennessee, 1-0, in Knoxville. The two teams will not play during the regular season, which allowed them to square off in an exhibition match.

• Junior midfielder Taylor Hubbard scored the game's lone goal in the 86th minute. Last season, Hubbard played in just four games and did not score a goal. Hubbard's goal came at the 85:23 mark when she found the back of the net from 10 yards out.

• The Tide finished the match with 15 shots, eight of which were on frame. Meanwhile, the Vols had 17 shots but only had four on goal. Senior Christina Maartensson had three shots on the night to lead Alabama, while five UA players ended with two shots apiece to help lead a balanced offensive attack. Tide goalkeeper Alex Plavin finished with four saves in the shutout victory.

• Coach Wes Hart 's postgame comments: "This is a great way to start the 2018 season. We found a way to get a result against a very good Tennessee team. We've made it a priority of ours to shut teams out this fall. To keep Tennessee off the scoreboard is a huge statement. They are a team with a ton of attacking weapons, including one of the best forwards (Bunny Shaw) in the country. Tennessee created their fair share of chances and exposed us a couple times, but (goalkeeper) Alex Plavin came up big when we needed her. There are a ton of positives that we will be able to take from this game. We still have plenty of work ahead of us, but I'm excited for what's to come."

ABOUT ALABAMA

• Head coach Wes Hart is looking to build off a stellar 2017 campaign, returning eight starters and 16 letterwinners from last season's team that finished with a 12-8-1 overall record.

• The 12 wins by Alabama was the third-most wins in a season in program history, highlighted by thrilling 1-0 win over then-No. 4 Florida State – the highest-ranked team the Tide has beaten in program history.

• Alabama earned an at-large berth to the 2017 NCAA Tournament, which marked its first NCAA appearance since 2011 and just the third in program history.

• Hart enters his fourth season at Alabama, with an improved record in each of his first three seasons at the helm of the program. He owns a career record of 26-28-5 (.509) over his previous three seasons, but is 21-16-3 (.563) over the last two years alone.

• Alabama was picked to finish eighth in the SEC by a vote of the league's head coaches.

ABOUT FRIDAY'S OPPONENT - TCU

• Friday's season opener at TCU marks the third meeting in history between the two squads, with each team winning a game in the series.

• In the last matchup between the squads, Alabama blanked the Horned Frogs, 1-0, in Lubbock, Texas on Sept. 20, 2009.

• The Tide is 0-1 when playing TCU in Fort Worth, Texas, falling 1-0, on Sept. 15, 2000.

• The Horned Frogs are coming off a 12-7-3 season and went 6-2-1 in the Big 12 Conference in 2017, on their way to reaching the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive season.

• TCU returns eight starters and 22 letterwinners from last year's team, topped by leading scorer Yazmeen Ryan (4g, 5a).

• TCU is picked to finish fifth in the Big 12 this season.

ABOUT SUNDAY'S OPPONENT - NORTH TEXAS

• North Texas ended its 2017 campaign with a 14-4-4 overall record and a 7-1-2 mark in Conference USA, on its way to earning the league's 2017 tournament championship.

• The Mean Green earned an automatic birth to the 2017 NCAA Tournament where they fell to Texas, 3-0, in the first round.

• Key returnees from last season's team include Dominique James, who was named the 2017 C-USA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year after earning first team all-conference honors last year. Also returning are Aaliyah Nolan, who was second team all-conference, and Carissa Sanders, the conference tournament offensive MVP in 2017.

• North Texas is picked to finish second in C-USA by a vote of the league's head coaches.

SEASON OPENERS

• Alabama has won six of its last eight season openers and has outscored its opponents 25-8. In the last two seasons, the Tide has outscored its competitors by a combined total of 11-1; 1-0 against Troy in 2015, 5-0 against Sam Houston State in 2016 and 5-1 against Jacksonville State last season.

• Alabama's 5-0 shutout victory against Sam Houston State was the second-largest margin of victory since the Tide dominated Kennesaw State in a 7-1 decision in 2011.

• The Tide has remained undefeated in the last four season openers in Tuscaloosa and has notched 17 goals to its opponents' three.

ONE MORE MEANS SCHOOL RECORD

• Senior Emma Welch needs just one assist to break the all-time career assist record at the University of Alabama.

• Welch, who was named a CoSIDA Academic All-American and earned a spot on the all-district and all-conference teams a year ago, has collected 19 career assists. Last season, she led the Tide with eight helpers on the year, which tied for second on the school's single-season assist chart.

• She is currently tied for the most assists in program history, matching the 19 career assists by former standout Libby Probst (2002-05).

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