Women's Soccer Opens Exhibition Slate
8/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Aug. 15, 2008
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama women's soccer team will get its first match action under first-year head coach Todd Bramble as the Crimson Tide will host Jackson State in an exhibition contest slated for Saturday, August 16 at 5:00 p.m. The match will mark the only exhibition fixture for the Crimson Tide as it will be played at the Alabama Soccer Complex.
Last Season Recap: The Crimson Tide once again rallied out of the gate to put themselves in great position with an 8-2-1 start. Alabama though got tripped up in SEC play and finished the remainder of the campaign 1-7 and ultimately to a 9-10-1 ledger. Long time Crimson Tide coach Don Staley resigned which led to the hiring of the successful Clemson coach, Todd Bramble. Two freshmen garnered SEC honors as Justine Bernier and Victoria Frederick were named to the SEC All-Freshmen Team. Bernier set a school record with and ranked 10th in the nation with 145 saves. Frederick paced the Crimson Tide with 13 points on five goals and three assists. Alex Butera and Kailey Corken also tallied 13 points. The duo each netted four goals and a team-leading five assists.
Season Preview: First-year head coach Todd Bramble welcomes back 18 players and all six of the top scorers from last season. Bramble also inherits a recruiting class that features eight newcomers. Alabama does face one of its toughest schedules in recent history as it will have to square up against eight teams that made the NCAA tournament last season, including the defending national champions in Southern Cal. Five tournament teams reside in the SEC and three tournament participants will face the Tide in the first five games of the season. Coach Bramble brings a time tested strategy to the Capstone. At Clemson, Bramble led the Lady Tigers to seven-straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
Scouting Jackson State: Jackson State is coming off a 2007 campaign that saw them lead the nation in points and goals per game. The Lady Tigers finished the 2007 season with a 9-4-4 overall record. JSU amassed 61 goals, 34 assists and 156 total points. The Lady Tigers return the nation's leader in points and goals per game in sophomore Naira Crimiel. Crimiel was named the 2007 Southwestern Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Year. She finished the season with 18 goals; seven assists for a total of 43 points. Along with Crimiel, JSU will have senior forward Zachene Crooks (7 goals), sophomore forward Rochelle Moncrieffe (6 goals), and junior midfielder Melissa Smith (6 goals) returning in `08. JSU head coach Niji Olagbegi returns eight starters and looks to add to his 39-30-6 overall record that he has accumulated over six seasons. In 2003, soccer was adopted as an officially NCAA sponsored sport on the JSU campus.
Alabama vs. Jackson State the Series: Alabama has faced Jackson State in regular play just once. The Crimson Tide handed the Lady Tigers a 20-0 loss on Sept. 22, 2002 in Tuscaloosa. The 20-0 score proved to be a record for the Alabama women's soccer team for goals and points in a single contest. Katie French tallied 12 points in the match on the strength of five goals and two assists. That effort ranks second all-time for points and goals scored in a single match in the UA annals.
Alabama Picked Fourth in the West: The Alabama Crimson Tide has been picked to finish fourth in the SEC Western Division as announced by the SEC preseason coaches poll. In the West, LSU was first with 62 total points (seven first-place votes) compared to Auburn's 59 points (five first-place votes). LSU returns nine starters from last year's squad that won the SEC Western Division with a 5-2-4 ledger in league play. Ole Miss also returns nine starters from 2007, including First Team All-SEC selection Danielle Johnson. The Crimson Tide finished with a 2-8-1 SEC mark, earning wins over Kentucky and Arkansas.
Home Sweet Home: The Alabama Crimson Tide has posted a winning season every year except one at the friendly confines on the Tuscaloosa campus. The lone losing season came in 2006 when Alabama went 3-4 at matches held at the Alabama Soccer Complex. Alabama won a school record nine games at home during the 1996 season and has gone undefeated at home twice. The Crimson Tide posted a clean sheet at home with a 6-0 mark in 1988 and another 6-0 record in 1995 when Alabama won the SEC Western Division title.
Returning Honorees: Head coach Todd Bramble inherits a relatively young team that has some SEC award winners among them. Sophomore forward Victoria Frederick returns after leading the team in points and in goals. For her effort the Huntsville, Ala. native was named to the SEC All-Freshmen Team. In goal, Justine Bernier also garnered SEC freshmen honors after breaking the school record in saves with 145. Bernier tallied 16 saves to break the Alabama Soccer Complex record against Tennessee on Oct. 25. Senior Kailey Corken excelled not just on the field but off it as she was named to the ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-American Team.
Bernier Helps Canada to U-20 World Cup: Alabama sophomore goalkeeper Justine Bernier (Oakville, Ontario) kept busy over the summer by representing her country and getting to travel the world in doing so. Bernier and team Canada sailed through the CONCACAF women's under-20 championship to earn the title by the way of a 1-0 decision over rival USA in Mexico. The Alabama single season record holder in saves has been in the team Canada pool at the U-16, U-17, and U-18 levels. Team Canada secured a trip to Chile this November for the U-20 World Cup.
Youth Movement: Four of the seven top scorers from last season were just freshmen and six of the seven returns this season. The quartet of Victoria Frederick, Carly Mygrants, Rosaly Petriello and Brooke Rogers enter their second season at the Capstone. Frederick led Alabama in points and goals while Mygrants also netted a team-high five goals. Petriello ranked third on the squad with nine points on three goals and three assists while Rogers tallied eight points, which ranked fourth on the team with three goals and two assists.
Six Seniors Look to Cap Off Alabama Career: On top of the youth that helped lead Alabama in the point category last season, head coach Todd Bramble also has some veteran leadership to lean on during the transition process. Coach Bramble is welcomed to the bench by six seniors. Two seniors will anchor the backfield in Colleen Posey and Cara Kelly while at the midfield seniors Jessica Deegan, Callie Pike Kailey Corken and Jamie Zimmerman look to command the field for the Crimson Tide.
Next Time Out: Alabama will only play one exhibition match before jumping straight into the regular season. The Crimson Tide will open the regular season against reigning Conference USA champs Memphis. The Tide will have to hit the road to play the Tigers on Aug. 29 at 5:00 p.m. at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex.
