TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama soccer team will play its lone exhibition match of the preseason when it travels to Knoxville to take on the No. 25 Tennessee Volunteers on Friday night at 5 p.m. CT.

The two Southeastern Conference rivals will not play one another during the regular season, which allows them to square off in the friendly on Friday night.

Alabama head coach Wes Hart is looking to build off a stellar 2017 campaign, as he returns 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 victories in a season in program history, highlighted by thrilling 1-0 win over then-No. 6 Florida State – the highest-ranked team the Tide has beaten in program history. As a result, Alabama earned an at-large berth to the 2017 NCAA Tournament, which marked its first NCAA appearance since 2011 and just the third program history.

Following the exhibition match, the Tide will open the 2018 regular season with a road contest at TCU on Aug. 17. The first home match of the year will be played on Aug. 24 vs. Florida Golf Coast at 7 p.m. CT. Admission to all home games is free to students and fans.

Get all the latest information on the team by following @AlabamaSoccer on Twitter and Facebook and AlabamaSoccer on Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.