Soccer Heads to Samford on Sunday
8/20/2011 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Aug. 20, 2011
| Match #2 | Alabama (1-0) at Samford (1-0) | |
| Date | Sunday, Aug. 21 | 7 p.m. CT |
| Location | Birmingham, Ala. | Samford Track & Soccer Stadium (1,200) |
| Tickets | Free Admission |
| Television | None |
| Radio | None |
| Live Stats | |
| Streaming Video | Samford All-Acces |
| Game Notes | Alabama Notes  |
| All-Time Series | Alabama leads, 2-1 |
TUSCALOOSA, Ala.- With the season opener in the books, the Alabama soccer team will hit the road for the first time in 2011 as the Crimson Tide will head to Birmingham to face instate foe Samford. The two teams will meet on Sunday, Aug. 21, at 7 p.m., at the new Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.
LAST TIME OUT
Alabama opened the 2011 campaign in impressive fashion as it downed Kennesaw State, 7-1, Friday night at the Alabama Soccer Stadium. Freshman Laura Lee Smith set the tone, scoring the second fastest goal in school history, finding the back of the net in 32 seconds, as the Tide never looked back, pouring out its most goals since 2007. Redshirt freshman Theresa Diederich led the way with two goals, as six different Tide players got on the score sheet in the opening match.
WHO TO WATCH
After missing the 2010 season due to injury, redshirt freshman Theresa Diederich is off to a fast start with a clean bill of health. Diederich came off the bench and scored two goals in 51 minutes to pace the Tide in the season opener. She also scored a goal in the exhibition match against Clemson. Also coming off the bench for Alabama and making an immediate impact was sophomore Kendall Khanna, who scored a goal and handed out two assists in 38 minutes. True freshman Kara Fasano scored a goal and assisted on another in 37 minutes off the bench.
SCOUTING SAMFORD
Samford opened the 2011 season with a 2-0 victory over Belmont at the new Samford Track and Soccer Stadium on Friday night. The Bulldogs return seven starters and five additional letterwinners from a team that finished 13-6-3 overall and 8-2-1 in Southern Conference play in 2010. SU placed second in the conference and was the runner-up at the SoCon Tournament. The Bulldogs out-scored its opponents 38-17 and sported a 0.78 goals against average in 2010. Alyssa Whitehead returns for her senior season in goal, as the second-team All-SoCon selection posted 12 shutouts, made 83 saves and recorded a 0.78 goals against average, playing every minute for the Bulldogs a year ago. As a true freshman, Norwegian Trine Taule paced Samford in scoring with 21 points on nine goals and three assists. Senior Sarah Wilkerson also returns, the forward scored five goals and handed out an assist in 20 matches played. Head coach Todd Yelton enters his 10th season at the helm of the Bulldogs. Yelton has posted a 110-47-26 record at Samford.
SERIES HISTORY
Despite only being separated by less than an hour drive, Sunday's meeting will be the fourth between the two programs. Alabama holds a 2-1 advantage over Samford, earning a thrilling 2-1 victory in the season opener last season. Brooke Rogers and Rosaly Petriello scored the goals for the Tide, as Petriello buried the game-winner on a penalty kick. The last time the Tide headed to Birmingham it wasn't a pleasant trip, as the Bulldogs handed the Tide a 3-0 loss in 2009. Alabama earned a 1-0 win in the series opener in Tuscaloosa in 2008.
ALABAMA SCORES EARLY AND OFTEN
Alabama true freshman Laura Lee Smith opened the flood gates as she scored the first goal of 2011 in just 32 seconds. The Tide went on to score six more to down Kennesaw State, 7-1, Friday night. The goal was the second fastest in school history as oddly enough, a true freshman by the name of Brooke Rogers, scored her first collegiate goal in the very first match of the season as well, finding the back of the net in just 11 seconds against Robert Morris on Aug. 31, 2007. Alabama has scored three goals in under a minute in its history as Taylor Eubank recorded a tally in 47 seconds against Mississippi on Sept. 24, 1995. The Tide has scored seven goals in under two minutes over the course of its history.
BERNIER NAMED TO HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LIST
Alabama senior goalkeeper Justine Bernier (Oakville, Ontario, Canada) is one of 42 student-athletes named to the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy Watch List for the 2011 season. The MAC Hermann Trophy is the highest individual award in intercollegiate soccer. The recipients are selected by head coaches of NCAA Division I programs who are members of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). Bernier, a NSCAA/Performance Subaru All-South Region first-team selection last season, earns the honor on the heels of a 2010 campaign in which she garnered Southeastern Conference first-team accolades. The keeper was also named one of the top 100 players in collegiate soccer by TopDrawerSoccer.com.
NEXT MATCH
Alabama will return home for two matches next week. The Tide will open the week against perennial NCAA tournament participant Memphis. The two teams will meet on Friday, Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. Alabama will then host New Mexico on Sunday, Aug. 28, with kickoff scheduled for Noon. Both matches will be played at the Alabama Soccer Stadium.
