Soccer Concludes Crimson Classic with Mississippi Valley State
9/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Sept. 20, 2008
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - In the final day of the Crimson Tide Classic two matches will be on the slate Sunday, Sept. 21 at the Alabama Soccer Complex. The Crimson Tide (4-2-1) will close out its weekend against the Mississippi Valley State (0-5-0) Devilettes at 2:30 p.m. Alabama is coming off 5-0 victory over UTC in the opener of the classic while Mississippi Valley State fell to Jacksonville 2-0 on Friday. The action will begin at Noon as Jacksonville (2-4-1) concludes its stay against the UT-Chattanooga Lady Mocs (3-4-1).
"The key to Sunday's game will be consistency," head coach Todd Bramble said. "I thought Friday was a good performance as we played fairly close to our capabilities. We need to show that we can follow that up on a Sunday afternoon and perform with that kind of concentration and intensity."
Who to Watch: Alabama senior Jessica Deegan had a career day against the Lady Mocs Friday night. The Centreville, Va. native tallied six points and had her hand in four of the five Crimson Tide goals to lead Alabama to its fourth straight win at home. Deegan handed out two assists and scored two goals to tie a career high in goals. Deegan tallied five points and netted two goals against LSU on Oct. 14, 2005. On the season the midfielder has eight points on three goals and two assists. Her previous season best was eight points in 2005.
Last Time Out: Alabama continued its dominance at home by earning its third straight shutout victory. The Crimson Tide easily handled the UTC Lady Mocs 5-0 in the late game to open the Crimson Tide Classic. Seniors Jessica Deegan and Kailey Corken each netted two goals. Sophomore Victoria Frederick tacked on another while junior goalkeeper Kara Gudmens made six saves en route to her third straight shutout.
Scouting Mississippi Valley State: The Devilettes are off to a rough start in 2008. MVSU is still in search of its first win of the 2008 campaign after falling its last time out in the Crimson Tide Classic opener to Jacksonville 2-0. The Devilettes have been out-scored 13-1 on the season. The lone goal was scored against Murray State by Alecia Taw. The Devilettes are 0-4 away from Itta Bena, Miss. In conference play MVSU has historically had some success. Under head coach Dean Joseph the Devilettes won the 2005 SWAC title and made its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
Alabama vs. MVSU: The Series: Sunday's meeting will mark the third time the two programs have squared off. The two squads last met last season in Tuscaloosa, Ala. when the Crimson Tide handed the Devilettes a 5-0 defeat. The two teams first met in 2004 when UA edged MVSU 2-1 at the Alabama Soccer Complex.
Gudmens Named Defensive Player of the Week: Alabama junior goalkeeper Kara Gudmens continues to shine at home as she posted back-to-back shutouts to lead Alabama to a perfect 2-0 weekend. Gudmens opened the home stand with a 1-0 shutout win over 2007 NCAA tournament participant Samford on Friday. In that contest the Cincinnati, Ohio native made seven saves. Against Wright State Gudmens played 106 minutes in between the pipes and made five saves to secure the clean slate. The 5-9 keeper has not yielded a goal in 362 minutes at home. On the season Gudmens has made 41 saves and allowed six goals for a 0.89 goals against average.
Crimson Tide Classic: Alabama will host the Crimson Tide Classic this weekend. The classic will feature three other teams as four games will be played at the UA Soccer Complex this weekend. Jacksonville and Mississippi Valley State start things off on Friday, Sept. 19 at 5:00 p.m. Alabama will then cap off the evening against Chattanooga at 7:30 p.m. Play will continue on Sunday, Sept. 21 with Jacksonville and UTC squaring off at Noon. UA will conclude classic play at 2:30 p.m. against Mississippi Valley State.
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 four 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. Gudmens held in-state rival Samford scoreless with her first shutout of 2008. Gudmens followed that up by blanking Wright State in double overtime. Gudmens again recorded the clean slate with a 5-0 victory over UTC on Friday. The Crimson Tide has out-scored the opposition 10-0 in Tuscaloosa. The four straight shutouts at home to start a season breaks the modern Alabama record set in 2002. In 1988 Alabama began its campaign with four straight shutout wins.
UAB Nike Classic All-Tournament Team: Alabama had four players earn UAB Nike Classic All-Tournament accolades. The tournament that was played in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham featured Samford, Wright State and UAB. Sophomore forward Victoria Frederick was named the Co-MVP of the tournament. Joining Frederick on the team was junior defender Alex Butera, senior midfielder Jessica Deegan and junior forward Kelsey King.
Next Time Out: After the conclusion of tournament play the Crimson Tide will dive into SEC action for the first time under first-year head coach Todd Bramble. Alabama will hit the road for the opening weekend of league play as the Crimson Tide will head to Nashville, Tenn. to face Vanderbilt on Friday, Sept. 26. The Crimson Tide closes out the opening weekend of league play in Lexington, Ky. when it faces the Kentucky Wildcats on Sunday, Sept. 28.
