HUNTSVILLE — Women’s college soccer will make its debut Sunday in Joe Davis Stadium as in-state rivals North Alabama and Jacksonville State square off, bringing their annual match to a neutral site for the first time.
Wicks Family Field at Joe Davis Stadium is the home to the professional Huntsville City FC of MLS NEXT Pro and former home to the Huntsville Stars Minor League Baseball team.
The match will kickoff at 7 p.m. with tickets available through the Huntsville City FC box office website. UNA will be the home team for this game. Both squads opened their seasons at home with 1-0 wins Thursday, with UNA taking down UT-Martin and JSU beating West Georgia.
“Bringing a women’s soccer rivalry match to Wicks Family Field is going to make this a great weekend of soccer for our fans to enjoy,” said Chad Emerson, managing director of HCFC. “Thanks to our partners at the Sports Commission and CVB, we look forward to more of these events in the future.”
This is the first of several fall events for the facility, according to Joel Lamp, sports development manager for the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
“One of our goals is to continue building our soccer portfolio, and this match will start a big fall of events for Huntsville,” he said. “We expect this to be the tip of the iceberg for more events at Joe Davis Stadium.”
The Lions finished 11-5-6 last season and advanced to the 2023 Atlantic Sun Conference Championship final against Florida Gulf Coast. Head coach Chris Walker welcomes 12 newcomers and returns 19 players, including fifth-year senior Alice Bussey, a preseason ASUN pick. UNA played an exhibition match against UAB on August 8.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to work with the city of Huntsville and host our game against Jacksonville State at the fantastic Joe Davis Stadium,” Walker said. “We would love to invite the Huntsville community and UNA alumni in the area to come out and enjoy a great night of women’s college soccer.”
Second-year JSU head coach Sean Fraser welcomes 20 new members to his program and will also count on veterans from the 2023 club, including its top two goal-scorers: senior Laleh Lonteen and junior Naroa Domenech. The Gamecocks finished 6-9-2 in Fraser’s first campaign.
In exhibition games, the Gamecocks blanked UAB 1-0 Aug. 5 and turned in a 1-1 draw with Samford last Sunday.
“We are thrilled to partner with UNA and our friends in Huntsville to provide this unique opportunity for our student-athletes, families, alumni, and friends,” Fraser said. “I appreciate Joel and his team for all of their effort in making this happen.”
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