Soccer Set to Open Southeastern Conference Play
9/22/2011 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Sept. 22, 2011
| Match #9 | Alabama (5-2-1) vs. Vanderbilt (6-2-0) | |
| Date | Friday, Sept. 23 | 7 p.m. CT |
| Location | Tuscaloosa, Ala. | Alabama Soccer Stadium (1,500) |
| Tickets | Free Admission |
| Television | None |
| Radio | WVUA-FM 90.7 - Tuscaloosa (Josh Zavadil) | Listen Live |
| Live Stats | GameTracker |
| Streaming Video | TideTV |
| Game Notes | Alabama Notes  | Opponent Notes |
| All-Time Series | Vanderbilt Leads, 13-2-3 |
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - After completing the non-conference portion of the schedule, the Alabama Crimson Tide (5-2-1) will begin Southeastern Conference play this weekend against Vanderbilt (6-2-0) on Friday, Sept. 23, at 7 p.m. Kentucky (7-1-0) will then come to town on Sunday, Sept. 25, at 1 p.m. Both games will be at the Alabama Soccer Stadium. The two matches will mark Alumni Weekend for the Tide.
LAST TIME OUT
Alabama held off Morehead State this past Sunday at the Alabama Soccer Stadium, 2-1, behind freshman Pia Rijsdijk's first career goal. Defender Ashley Willis continued her hot streak, scoring a goal for the second consecutive game. She put the Tide ahead early, scoring in the second minute of play, while also helping Alabama surrender just one goal.
WHO TO WATCH
Alabama freshman forward Pia Rijsdijk has been on the creating end of goals for Alabama, but after she netted the game-winner against Morehead State, the Netherlands native is now in the goal scoring column. Rijsdijk scored her first career goal on Sunday, helping UA beat Morehead State. She played the full 90 minutes and took a team-high six shots. The goal came off a K.K. Duffy shot that caromed off the post for an easy put-back goal from inside the penalty area.
SCOUTING VANDERBILT
The Commodores come to Tuscaloosa sporting a 6-2 record. Vanderbilt is coming off a split week, as it lost to No. 11 Memphis, 2-0, on Friday and rebounded to beat Samford, 2-0, on Sunday. Senior forward Candace West leads Vandy with three goals and one assist, good for seven points. In goal, Vanderbilt has played three different goalies. Junior goalkeeper Jessica Amlaw started the Samford game, recording her first shutout on the season. Last season, Vanderbilt went 8-10-2 overall and 4-4-2 in the SEC, losing in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals to top seeded Florida, 5-3. Just before fall practice started, long time coach Ronnie Woodard retired, and assistant coach Derek Greene was named interim head coach.
SERIES HISTORY
Vanderbilt leads the series 13-2-3, winning last season in Nashville, 2-0. Vandy scored a goal off a corner kick and then buried a penalty shot to earn the win in 2010. In the last meeting between the two programs in Tuscaloosa, Vanderbilt earned a 1-0 overtime victory, with a goal four minutes into the extra period. Alabama is 1-4-3 all-time against Vanderbilt at home.
SEC OPENERS
Alabama sports a 9-5-2 all-time record in Southeastern Conference openers. Crimson Tide head coach Todd Bramble is a perfect 3-0 in league openers while at the helm. Last season the Tide shutout Mississippi at home, 2-0 to start a five match SEC unbeaten streak. Alabama blanked Mississippi State, 1-0, on the road two years ago and in his inaugural year on the bench, Bramble and his Tide downed Vanderbilt, 2-0. This will mark the second SEC opener at home against Vanderbilt since 2007, when the Tide played the Commodores to a 1-1 draw.
STINGY DEFENSE
The Crimson Tide defense has only given up six goals in eight games this season, while posting three shutouts. Alabama has allowed one goal or less in seven of the eight matches this year. A large part of this is due to the Tide starting defenders, with three of the starters having played over 700 minutes already this season. They are led by senior K.K. Duffy, who has played a team-high 740 minutes, as well as senior goalie Justine Bernier, who has a 0.72 goals against average.
WILLIS' NAMED TO TEAM OF WEEK
Alabama junior defender Ashley Willis was named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week for the past week. Willis earns the honor after scoring goals in back-to-back matches, leading the Crimson Tide to three straight wins. Willis scored in the second minute of the match against Morehead State on Sunday. The goal was her second in as many matches as the outside back scored her first career goal in a 1-0 win against UAB last week. The Colorado Springs, Colo., native is second on the team in minutes played, logging 90 or more minutes in seven straight matches. Willis is third on the team with five points on two goals and an assist. Willis becomes the first Tide player to earn the honor this season. Alabama goalkeeper Justine Bernier nabbed the weekly honor last year.
ALUMNI WEEKEND
The Alabama Soccer Stadium will welcome back the alumni this weekend. Over 35 former players are slated to be in attendance for both matches this weekend. Also K.K. Duffy and Carly Mygrants are scheduled to be recognized this weekend for their senior days. Duffy will be showcased on Friday night against Vanderbilt while Mygrants will be honored before the Kentucky kickoff.
BERNIER JOINS TEAM CANADA
Once again Alabama goalkeeper Justine Bernier got the call to play for Team Canada. Bernier, an Oakville, Ontario native joins the club for two international friendly matches against Team USA. In the first match the two teams played to a 1-1 draw. It was played at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan., and aired on the Fox Soccer Channel. The two teams will then meet five days later on Sept. 22, for a match at JELD-WEN Field in Portland, Ore. ESPN2 will cover the match with kickoff slated for 10 p.m. CT.
RECORD WATCH
Alabama goalkeeper Justine Bernier has already etched her name in the record books in numerous categories and is looking for more in her final season at the Capstone. Bernier earned her 24th career victory in goal, moving her into sole possession of second place in the career annals. Tide great Amy Pseja holds the record with 30 career wins. Bernier has extended her career records in saves (373) and shutouts (17).
NON-CONFERENCE WINS
Alabama has enjoyed success in non-conference matches under head coach Todd Bramble. In the midst of year four under Bramble, the Tide sports a 19-9-2 non-conference record. In the three completed seasons, Alabama has earned five non-conference wins in three of the four seasons with the win over Morehead State giving the Tide five this season.
2011: 5-2-1
2010: 5-2
2009: 4-3
2008: 5-2-1
AROUND THE SEC
Alabama is second in the SEC in saves with 42 and third in the conference with 5.25 saves per game. UA is tied for third in goals allowed, allowing less than a goal per game (0.75). Justine Bernier is second overall with a .875 save percentage and third with 35 saves and 5.0 saves per game. Bernier is tied for first in the SEC with three shutouts.
NEXT WEEK
Alabama will hit the road after its longest homestand of the season as it will travel to the state of Mississippi for two matches. The Crimson Tide will open the road trip against Mississippi State on Friday, Sept. 30, and then face Mississippi on Sunday, Oct. 2, in Oxford.
