Soccer Concludes Weekend with Mississippi
10/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Oct. 4, 2008
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama soccer team (7-3-1, 2-1-0 SEC) will close out its SEC home opening weekend on Sunday, Oct. 5. The Crimson Tide will face the Mississippi Rebels (4-5-2, 2-1-0 SEC) at 1:00 p.m. at the Alabama Soccer Complex. Alabama is coming off a 1-0 win to open its home SEC slate against Mississippi State while Mississippi beat Auburn 3-1.
Who to Watch: Alabama junior defender Alex Butera has made an instant impact on the back line for the Crimson Tide. Butera, who played in the attack her entire career, made the switch to the defensive side of the ball in 2008. With Butera earning a start in the central of the defense in every contest the Orlando, Fla. has helped Alabama tally seven shutouts in just 11 games. Butera scored four goals last season, playing the majority of her minutes at the midfield.
Last Time Out: The Alabama soccer team continued to show its dominance at home by earning another shutout victory. Alabama was able to get the ball in the back of the net on own goal by Mississippi State. The Crimson Tide controlled the pace of the game and out-shot the Bulldogs 22-10, including a 14-5 effort in the first half. Junior goalkeeper Kara Gudmens had to do very little to earn her fifth shutout on the year. Gudmens has tallied 452 scoreless minutes at home.
Scouting Mississippi: Mississippi enters Tuscaloosa with a 4-5-2 record and a 2-1 mark in SEC play. Mississippi handled Auburn on the road to open the weekend with a 3-1 victory. That win was the first away from Oxford this season. The Rebels earned its biggest win of the season last weekend when it handed LSU a 1-0 shutout. Mississippi earned its other two wins over Southern Miss and Oklahoma. As a team, MU has tallied 15 goals on the year and has allowed 16. The Rebels have out-shot their opposition 148-115. Leading the way offensively is Jennifer Hance with 11 points on five goals and one assist. Hannah Weatherly and Taylor Cunningham each follow with seven points. The duo each sports three goals and one assist.
Alabama vs. Mississippi: The Series Sunday's meeting will mark the 15th time the two programs square off. At the friendly confines of the Alabama Soccer Complex the Crimson Tide holds a 3-2 advantage but the Rebels have an 8-6 all-time advantage. The two teams last met in Oxford last season where the Rebels earned a convincing 3-0 victory. The last time the two squads met in Tuscaloosa, Alabama fell 4-0 on Oct. 8, 2006. Ole Miss has out-scored Alabama 24-16 in the all-time series.
Shutout Record: Before the loss to Kentucky, Alabama posted five straight shutouts which marks a new school record. The Crimson Tide posted four consecutive in 1987 and tallied three consecutive shutouts in 1994. Alabama started the streak with back-to-back 1-0 wins over Samford and Wright State and then added to it with a 5-0 drubbing of UTC and then a 1-0 blanking of Mississippi Valley State. The Crimson Tide opened SEC play with a 2-0 win over Vanderbilt. UA has posted six straight at home which breaks a school record to start a season. The all-time record for shutouts in a season is 10 set by the 1994 squad that finished the year with 13 wins.
Home Sweet Home: Alabama has started off its 2008 home slate in impressive fashion as it has not allowed an opponent to score in its six home matches. The Crimson Tide opened its home slate with a 3-0 shutout victory over Jacksonville State on Aug. 31. Alabama goalkeepers Kara Gudmens and Karen Lansden combined to blank the Gamecocks. On Sept. 12, Gudmens held in-state rival Samford scoreless with her first shutout of 2008. Gudmens followed that up by blanking Wright State in double overtime on Sept. 14. UA then swept another weekend with shutouts over UTC (5-0) and Mississippi Valley State (1-0). Lansden earned her first shutout on the year against the Devilettes on Sept. 21. The last shutout came on Friday against MSU by the score of 1-0. The Crimson Tide has out-scored the opposition 12-0 in Tuscaloosa. The six straight shutouts at home is an all-time best. In 1988 Alabama began its campaign with four straight shutout wins.
Next Time Out: Alabama will hit the road next weekend for two SEC matchups. The Crimson Tide will face off against the Arkansas Razorbacks on Friday, Oct. 10 at 7:00 p.m. at Lady Back Field. UA will then play LSU on Sunday, Oct. 12 at 1:00 p.m. at the LSU Soccer Complex.
