Alabama Soccer Week That Was: Week 1
8/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Aug. 18, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Under the direction of second year head coach Todd Bramble the Alabama soccer team concluded its first full week of practice. The week also saw the Crimson Tide play both of its exhibition matches on the preseason schedule and get in some team bonding activities.
"It was good to be back out there with the team," Bramble said. "We could feel that the dynamics of this preseason are very different from last season. This year with half our team being new they have a steep learning curve so they are just trying to apply what we are teaching them as soon as possible."
After fitness testing last Friday the Crimson Tide began two-a-day training sessions on Saturday and continued the grueling process throughout the week.
"We really had to spend the first four to five days evaluating what these newcomers could do," Bramble said. "We had some work to do to get our team up to speed fitness wise. As a result of that we went into our two exhibition games in a bad place in that we hadn't gotten a chance to work on the tactical aspects of the game."
On Wednesday last week Bramble along with senior defender Alex Butera and junior midfielder Rosaly Petriello met with the local media at Buffalo Wild Wings for the annual Volleyball and Soccer Media Day.
Alabama opened its exhibition schedule with a 1-0 loss to Mercer on Thursday. The match included the return of Crimson Tide goalkeeper Justine Bernier and the first glimpse of the 10 freshmen.
After playing his alma mater in the preseason opener Bramble and the Crimson Tide headed to Atlanta to play Clemson, a team that Bramble led to seven straight NCAA Tournaments. Alabama fell in the contest 4-0 to wrap up the exhibition slate. "We were able to see enough from our players to learn about their strengths this past weekend," Bramble explained. "I have been really pleased with what I have seen from our goalkeepers but this is a big week. We still have a few starting spots up for grabs."
To wind down the week the soccer team got the day off Sunday to take advantage of some team bonding. After a light regeneration session in the morning, the squad went to Kobe for lunch. Afterwards the team headed to Bama Bowl for some competition off the soccer pitch.
