Women's Soccer to Open Home Slate
8/30/2008 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Aug. 30, 2008
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama women's soccer team (0-0-1) returns to Tuscaloosa to open its regular season home schedule. The Crimson Tide will face the Jacksonville State Gamecocks (0-1-1) on Sunday, August 31 at 7:00 p.m. CST at the UA Soccer Complex. Alabama is coming off a 1-1 double overtime draw against defending conference USA champion Memphis.
"We have had the opportunity to play in our stadium a few times in the spring and then again in the exhibition game but I am looking forward to seeing the difference in what the pageantry is going to be," head coach Todd Bramble said. "I look forward to the passion of our supporters on campus and in the community. We want to put on a good show and have the fans leave the stadium Sunday night feeling like that is an environment that they would want to come back to. Win, lose or draw they are going to see an Alabama team that is going to be a good, honest hard working team that will play attractive soccer."
Who to Watch: In just her second season in the collegiate ranks sophomore forward Victoria Frederick has shown she is a force up front for the Crimson Tide. It took just 16 minutes for the Huntsville, Ala. native to get on the score sheet in 2008. In the exhibition match against Jackson State Frederick had her hand in four of the five goals in that contest. Frederick tallied a hat-trick and handed out an assist.
Last Time Out: The Crimson Tide opened its 2008 season and the Todd Bramble era with an impressive double overtime 1-1 draw on the road against reigning conference USA and NCAA Tournament participant Memphis. Sophomore forward Victoria Frederick continues to find the back of the net as she got Alabama on the board in the 16th minute off an assist from freshman midfielder Shannon Lathrop. Junior goalkeeper Kara Gudmens went the distance in between the pipes and allowed one goal and made eight saves.
Scouting Jacksonville State: Jacksonville State is coming off a 2007 season where it compiled a 4-12-1 record, including a 2-6-1 ledger in Ohio Valley Conference action. The Gamecocks had trouble on the road going winless away from the friendly confines. Last season JSU found the net only 13 times and allowed its opponents to tally 33 goals. Paige Rovillo led the Gamecocks in 2007 with nine points on three goals and three assists. Kim Kimmel followed with eight points on three goals and two helpers. With its top scorers gone in 2008 JSU is led by Kristi Pereira and her two points on one goal. Chelsea Pelletier had the assist on the Pereira goal. JSU opened the season with a 1-1 tie against Middle Tennessee State and then fell at Georgia State 4-0 on Friday.
Alabama vs. Jacksonville State: The Series: Sunday's meeting will mark the fifth time the two programs have squared off. Alabama leads the series 4-0 and posts a 3-0 mark against JSU at home. The last time the two teams met was on Sept. 19, 2004 in Tuscaloosa where UA handed JSU a 3-2 defeat, the closest margin of all four matches. In the series, the Crimson Tide has outscored the Gamecocks 18-5.
Home Openers: The Alabama Crimson Tide has posted a 13-3 record in home openers. UA dropped its home opener last season by the score of 3-2 to Kennesaw State. Prior to the 2002 season the Crimson Tide rallied off 10 straight home opening victories. Alabama has outscored its opposition 56-12 in opening games played in Tuscaloosa.
Crimson Tide in Overtime: The start to the 2008 season proved to be a thrilling one as Alabama went on the road and played Memphis to a 1-1 tie in 110 minutes of action. In the last four seasons and the Friday night opener the Crimson Tide has played in 11 overtime matches and has posted a 2-5-4 record. Last season Alabama went into extra time just once and earned a 1-1 tie to open the SEC campaign against Vanderbilt on Sept. 28, 2007. The last overtime victory for the Crimson Tide came in 2004 when Alabama handed Ole Miss a 1-0 loss in Tuscaloosa.
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.
Non-Conference Action: Alabama has had a lot of success in non-conference play. In the last five seasons the Crimson Tide has posted a 29-14-1 mark against non league opponents. Last season Alabama posted a 7-2 record in non-conference matches and in 2005 the Crimson Tide went 6-1 before the start of league play. UA opened the 2008 season with a 1-1 draw against reigning NCAA Tournament participant Memphis.
Next Time Out: Next week Alabama will log the frequent flyer miles as the Crimson Tide heads to the Los Angeles area to play two matches. UA will open the trip on Friday, Sept. 5 against Cal State Fullerton at 9:30 p.m. CST and then play the reigning national champion in USC on Sunday, Sept. 7 at 3:00 p.m. CST.
