Soccer Heads to Gainesville to Face No. 14 Florida
10/8/2009 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Oct. 8, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama soccer team (5-4-1, 1-1-1 SEC) will depart on arguably its toughest road trip of the season as it will have to take on two nationally ranked conference opponents. The Crimson Tide opens the weekend against the No. 14 ranked Florida Gators (8-4-1, 2-1-1 SEC) on Friday, Oct. 9 at James G. Pressly Stadium. The match will kickoff at 7:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by Sun Sports. UA will then close out the trip against No. 7 South Carolina (11-0-1, 3-0-1 SEC) on Sunday in Columbia with a 3:30 ET first whistle.
Who to Watch: The Alabama defense has done an excellent job keeping opposing attackers at bay. The Crimson Tide back four has helped lead the way to three shutouts in its last four contests. Alex Butera and Veronika Wolfkeil has been a mainstay in the center of the back four while Grace Lawson and newcomer Ashley Willis have been shutting down the outside. UA has blanked TCU, Mississippi State and Arkansas over that span.
Last Time Out: In wet and cold conditions the Alabama soccer team played visiting Arkansas to a scoreless draw. After the full 110 minutes both teams fired off 16 shots each. Crimson Tide goalkeeper Justine Bernier equaled her season high with 10 saves while junior Brooke Rogers paced Alabama with three shots. The contest was the second this season in which Alabama has played extra minutes. The Tide is 1-0-1 in those matches.
Scouting Florida: The Gators enter the weekend with a No. 14 ranking and an 8-4-1 overall record and a 2-1-1 SEC mark. Florida is coming off a weekend in Mississippi that saw the Gators go 0-1-1. UF opened the weekend by playing host Mississippi State to a 1-1 draw. Florida then fell at Mississippi in double overtime by the score of 3-2 on Sunday. Lindsay Thompson paces the Gators with 14 points on seven goals. Brooke Thigpen closely follows with 12 points on five goals and two assists. Nicky Kit paces the Gators with four assists. Katie Fraine has played the majority of the minutes in between the pipes. The goalkeeper has made 55 saves and allowed 14 goals in 1209 minutes for a 1.04 goals against average. Florida, who was picked to successfully defend its SEC title, returns eight starters from the 2008 team that reached the NCAA Round of 16. The Gators return two All-SEC performers - senior Ashlee Elliott (2008 & 2007 All-SEC first team) and Lauren Hyde (2006 & '07 All-SEC first team; 2008 second team).
Series History: Friday's fixture marks the 15th time the two programs have met. Alabama is still in search of its first win over Florida as the Gators hold a 13-0-1 advantage. The Crimson Tide has been out-scored by the Gators 51-8 all-time and 23-3 in Gainesville where UF holds a 4-0-1 series lead. The Tide did play the Gators tough in their last meeting by nearly upsetting the No. 1 seed at the SEC Tournament. Alabama was holding a 1-0 lead until the 66th minute and then Florida escaped with the game-winner in the 88th minute.
Goals and Wins: So far this season the Crimson Tide has played a very defensive brand of soccer but when they do find the back of the net it usually leads to a win. Alabama is 5-1 this season when it scores a goal with its only loss coming against Conference USA champion Memphis on Sept. 13. Alabama has played in five one goal games and has won four of them, posting two 1-0 shutouts over that span.
Clean Sheets: Alabama has played an impressive brand of defensive soccer as of late, posting three shutouts in its last four matches, including back-to-back 1-0 decisions. The Crimson Tide is coming off a double overtime scoreless draw against Arkansas and earned consecutive clean sheets against TCU and Mississippi State. Over that span Alabama goalkeeper Justine Bernier has made 32 saves and has allowed just three goals in 380 minutes for a 0.71 goals against average. Alabama has now posted 11 shutouts in just over a season and a half under head coach Todd Bramble.
Next Time Out: After the fall break weekend the Crimson Tide will return home for two matches. Alabama will open play on Oct. 16 against Kentucky and then host Vanderbilt on Sunday, Oct. 18. Both matches will be played at the Alabama Soccer Stadium.
