Trojans Hit the Road for Weekend at Jaguar Classic

MOBILE, Ala. -- Head coach Ged O'Connor takes his team on the road for the first time this season, traveling to Mobile for the Jaguar Classic hosted by South Alabama.

The Trojans, who hosted the Jaguars last weekend for the Trojan Classic, will return the favor this weekend facing Stetson on Friday at 4 p.m. before closing the weekend against rivals UAB on Sunday at 6 p.m.

Troy is coming off a very impressive opening weekend of the year that included a 7-0 victory over Jackson State and a physical scoreless draw against Tennessee Tech. Senior Nathali 'Brazil' DaSilva recorded her first career hat trick on Friday, while junior Haleigh Mercer turned in 180 minutes of scoreless soccer in the net.

In total, 19 different Trojans saw the field last weekend, with five true freshmen making their collegiate soccer debuts.

Live video coverage and stats are available for both of Troy's games this weekend. The Trojans look to start the season unbeaten through three matches for the first time since 2009, when Troy began the season 3-0.

HOW TO FOLLOW (Stetson, 1-1)
Date: Friday, Aug. 30
Kickoff: 4 p.m.
Live Video: Watch Live
Live Stats: TroyStats.com
Twitter: @TroyTrojansWSOC

HOW TO FOLLOW (UAB, 0-1-1)
Date: Sunday, Aug. 31
Kickoff: 6 p.m.
Live Video: Watch Live
Live Stats: TroyStats.com
Twitter: @TroyTrojansWSOC

SERIES INFO (Stetson)
Overall: Series tied, 1-1
            At Troy: Troy leads 1-0
            At DeLand: Stetson leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Aug. 25, 2013 – Stetson won 1-0 (DeLand, Fla.)

SERIES INFO (UAB)
Overall: Series tied, 1-1
            At Troy: Troy leads, 1-0
            At Birmingham: UAB leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Sept. 14, 2014 –Troy won, 2-1 (at Troy)

HATS OFF: The Stetson Hatters enter the weekend with an overall record of 1-1 after dropping the season opener to Grand Canyon. The Hatters rebounded last Sunday afternoon earning a hard-fought victory over Rollins College, 3-2. Sophomore Kate Carter delivered a two-goal performance that earned head coach Chris Bergmann his first career Stetson victory. Stetson used a pair of goalkeepers on Sunday, as Emily Plotz and Lara Bates combined to make 13 saves. This season, the Hatters welcomed 15 new players to DeLand who combined with Lindsey Parent and Bates form a strong core that looks to improve on last season's 4-10-3 effort that featured just 13 goals.

SCOUTING THE BLAZERS:
The UAB Blazers enter the weekend looking to earn their first victory on the 2019 campaign. After starting with a road contest at Samford (0-0 draw), the Blazers dropped a tough 2-0 decision at home to TCU. Projected to finish fourth in the very competitive C-USA, UAB finished the 2018 campaign in third place, advancing to the C-USA tournament for the second consecutive season. Goalie Johanna Popp starred last weekend for the Blazers, recording 16 total saves, enroot to being named the C-USA Goalkeeper of the Week. Her 16 saves rank 11^th overall in the NCAA. Auburn transfer Stella Kiss and Megan Hudgens lead the Blazers in total shots and have provided most of the offensive firepower so far this season.

GED TALKS:
"We've spent a lot of time this week preparing our young team to travel for the first time this season. We have a lot of freshmen who haven't experienced a college road trip before so it's a brand-new opportunity for them. I think being away for a couple of nights will prepare us for the Friday/Sunday Sun Belt schedule. I think this weekend we will have a bit of an advantage because we've been to South Alabama so many times, so it might feel more like a home game than it would for Stetson or UAB. Stetson and UAB are two very well-coached teams who will be ready to play. So, it's going to be two challenging matchups for us, and we're excited about both games."

On last weekend's performances against Jackson State and Tennessee Tech:
"Well, we're not quite at full strength yet because there are still six or seven girls who are recovering from injuries that they suffered before the season. So, I think we still haven't played our best soccer yet, but we're extremely pleased with how we've played early on. We've gotten so many young players critical minutes so far, and I think that will help us immensely down the stretch. Recording a pair of clean sheets last weekend was a great first step but now as the games continue to get harder, let's see how we progress."

On the matchup with Stetson:
"I know a number of the players on the Stetson roster from my history. It's another team that has a brand-new coaching staff and a coach who is very experienced and should do wonderful things there. My concern against Stetson is our team feeling complacent going up against a new coach, but we know he's going to have his team ready to go on Friday, so we just need to be ready for the game."

Trojans Hit the Road for Weekend at Jaguar Classic

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Players Mentioned

Haleigh Mercer

Troy University Athletics