Soccer Continues SEC Play on the Road at Arkansas
10/2/2010 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Oct. 2, 2010
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama soccer team (7-2-1, 2-0-1 SEC) will continue its first Southeastern Conference road trip of the season as it will head to Fayetteville, Ark., to face the Arkansas Razorbacks (3-6-2, 0-2-1) on Sunday, Oct. 3, at 1 p.m. The Crimson Tide earned a draw on Friday night while the Hogs fell 3-2 to Auburn.
LAST TIME OUT
The Alabama soccer team earned its first point in Baton Rouge since 2004 by playing LSU to a scoreless draw Friday night. Tide goalkeeper Justine Bernier earned her fourth straight shutout and the team posted its fifth in a row by holding the Tigers scoreless for the full 110 minutes. Bernier made seven saves and improved her career best scoreless streak to 481 minutes.
WHO TO WATCH
Alabama senior forward Victoria Frederick may not be recording the goals but has found a niche setting them up. The fleet-footed forward tied a single game career-best by dishing out both assists in the 2-0 win over Mississippi State. She also handed out the assists on the game-winner against Mississippi on Friday. The Huntsville, Ala., native leads the team with four assists and her three assists in conference play is tied for the league lead. On the season, Frederick has tallied six points and scored a goal and her four assists ties a single season career-best for the senior.
SCOUTING ARKANSAS
The Razorbacks enter Sunday's match without earning a win in its last five matches. Arkansas has earned two ties over that span. As a team, the Razorbacks have been outscored 14-8 and have been outshot by the opposition 184-138. Individually Kelsey Allison leads the way offensively with six points on three goals. In goal, Britni Williams has played the majority of the minutes and sports a 3-5-1 overall record with four shutouts. Williams has made 71 saves and showcases a 1.28 goals against average in 985 minutes. Last season, the Razorbacks finished 8-7-4 overall and 2-7-2 in league play. Erin Aubry enters her second season at the helm of the Arkansas soccer team.
SERIES HISTORY
Alabama enters Sunday's meeting with a 10-5-2 all-time advantage and has had recent success against the Razorbacks, not losing to its conference foe to the north since 2006. The Tide has outscored the Hogs 38-30 in the series but has been out-scored in Fayetteville, 18-15. The last meeting at Arkansas, Alabama earned a convincing 3-1 win in 2008. The two teams played to a scoreless draw last season in Tuscaloosa.
PROGRAM TURN AROUND
In year three under head coach Todd Bramble, the Alabama soccer team is accomplishing some feats it has not reached in some time. After three matches into the conference season the Tide is unbeaten for the first time in 1995. Alabama earned its first win over Mississippi and its first point against LSU at Baton Rouge since 2004. The Tide already eclipsed its win total from last season before the calendar hit October.
BERNIER EARNS NATIONAL AND CONFERENCE HONORS
Alabama junior goalkeeper Justine Bernier (Oakville, Ontario, Canada) was named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week and the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Week. Bernier returned from Team Canada training camp in exceptional form, leading the Crimson Tide to six points with wins over Mississippi and Mississippi State to start off league play last weekend. Over the weekend, Bernier tallied 17 saves, including nine against a Mississippi squad that Alabama had not beaten since 2004. On Sunday, Bernier tallied eight saves to lead the Tide to its third straight victory over the Bulldogs. On the season, the junior net-minder sports a microscopic 0.16 goals against average and a perfect 6-0 record on the strength of five shutouts and 38 saves. Bernier has recorded four straight clean sheets since her return, including another one on Friday to extend the all-time shutout record at Alabama with 14. She has also put together a 481 minute scoreless streak.
WHERE THEY STACK UP
Alabama junior goalkeeper Justine Bernier doesn't just lead the conference with a 0.16 goals against average but also ranks second in the country. She also paces the conference in save percentage with a .974 clip. Brooke Rogers is tied for third in the league with six goals and ranks seventh in points with 12. Victoria Frederick ranks tied for eighth in assists with four and leads the league during conference action with three helpers.
RECORD WATCH
Alabama junior goalkeeper Justine Bernier already broke the school shutout record by tallying her 13th career clean-sheet and is now in line to etch her name atop another career record. The junior enters the Sunday with 299 saves, just two shy of the record of 301 set by former Tide great Amy Pseja. Bernier is also climbing up the career win chart as she is third all-time at Alabama with 20 victories. Amy Pseja holds the top mark with 30.
CAREER YEARS
Nearing just over the halfway mark of the 2010 campaign, several members of the Crimson Tide are having career seasons. Senior Brooke Rogers has tallied six goals, leading the team in that category and besting her previous season high of three. Fellow senior Rosaly Petriello is also putting together a career year, as the Canadian has tallied four goals, eclipsing her previous season best of three, set in 2007. Senior Victoria Frederick is also been putting together a career season but in the assist category, as she enters the weekend, tying a career-best with four helpers.
NEXT TIME OUT
Alabama will return home and play in front of the TV cameras as it will host Florida on Friday, Oct. 8, with the broadcast set to air on Fox Sports South at 7 p.m. Alabama will then host South Carolina on Sunday, Oct. 10, at 1 p.m.
