Alabama
3-2-1
Wright State
4-3-0
King Lifts Crimson Tide in Double Overtime
9/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Sept. 14, 2008
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Alabama junior forward Kelsey King handed the Crimson Tide a 1-0 double overtime victory over Wright State with a goal in the 106th minute Sunday afternoon. Her first goal of the season proved to come in dramatic fashion as it gave Alabama its third straight win at home. After the victory, the Crimson Tide improve to 3-2-1 overall while the Raiders drop to 4-3-0 on the year.
"That was a huge win for us," head coach Todd Bramble said. "It was one of those Sunday afternoon games where there is not a lot of emotion to the game and life to it. Either team could have won that game in overtime but I am really proud of how we came out and got the result."
Alabama came out hard in the second half and continued the pressure for the remainder of the contest. Freshman midfielder Shannon Lathrop collected a loose ball at the midfield and quickly found a streaking Kailey Corken down the left sideline. The senior rewarded the long run of King on the right side with a perfect pass on the ground to the right foot of the Kingwood, Texas native. King beat the WSU goalkeeper near post from five yards out on a one-touch finish.
"Our home fans really got us going and helped us out today," King said. "The defense has been playing really well as of late and that gave our attack some confidence. It was great to get that win in that type of manner."
The shutout marks the second straight for Alabama and junior goalkeeper Kara Gudmens. The Cincinnati, Ohio native recorded five saves to secure the shutout victory for the Crimson Tide. Alabama opened the weekend with a 1-0 shutout victory over Samford on Friday.
The Crimson Tide out-shot the Raiders 23-18 and was led by the seven shots of Corken. Sophomore Victoria Frederick tallied six shots and put five on frame. Amber Kasmer of Wright State tallied six shots to pace the Raiders. Meghan Hackerson tallied 15 saves and allowed one goal in the losing effort.
Out-shot 10-5 in the first frame the Crimson Tide rallied in the second half to tally 14 shots compared to the five by the Raiders. Alabama out-shot Wright State 3-0 in the final overtime period.
With the third consecutive shutout Alabama ties the modern school record of shutout victories to start a season. The Crimson Tide earned three-straight shutouts to start the 2002 home schedule.
The Crimson Tide will host its only tournament of the season when it will welcome three teams for the Crimson Tide Classic next weekend. Alabama will play two matches and a total of four will be played at the UA Soccer Complex next weekend. The Crimson Tide opens the weekend against UTC on Friday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Team Stats
KING, Kelsey (1)
Assisted By: ZIMMERMAN, Jamie , CORKEN, Kailey
cross from left side 5 yards out one tou
105:33
