Soccer Closes Out Weekend with No. 19 LSU
10/11/2008 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Oct. 11, 2008
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama soccer team (8-4-1, 3-2-0 SEC) will continue on the road for its final SEC contest of the weekend. The Crimson Tide will close the weekend slate against the No. 19 ranked LSU Tigers (9-2-0, 3-2-0 SEC) on Sunday, Oct. 12 at the LSU Soccer Complex. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m. Alabama is coming off a 3-1 victory over Arkansas on Friday while LSU defeated Auburn in overtime 2-1.
Who to Watch: Alabama sophomore Brooke Rogers continues to shine in SEC play. Rogers tallied her second three point game on the road during league action by handing out an assist on the game-winning goal and then finding the back of the net just one minute later. Rogers has done all of this off the bench for the Crimson Tide. She tallied three points in the win at Vanderbilt on Sept. 26. The 5-5 midfielder has eight points on two goals and a team-leading four assists this season.
Last Time Out: The Alabama soccer team continues to impress on Friday nights as the Crimson Tide went on the road and defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks 3-1 at Razorback Field. Alabama used goals from three different players to earn its fifth straight Friday night win to improve to 8-4-1 overall and 3-2 in Southeastern Conference play. After Arkansas took the early lead just five minutes into the contest, Alabama showed resolve by scoring three unanswered goals to end the night with a key SEC Western Division victory. All three goals came in the second half in a span of nine minutes.
Scouting LSU: LSU opened its season in an impressive fashion as the Tigers won seven straight to open the 2008 campaign. The Tigers then dropped two in a row before defeating Georgia and Auburn to get back to its winning ways. LSU is 9-2 on the season with both losses coming in SEC play to Ole Miss and Tennessee. Sunday's matchup will mark only the fifth game in Baton Rouge for the Tigers. LSU is a perfect 4-0 at home and has out-scored its opposition 15-2 at the LSU Soccer Complex. As a team, the Tigers have out-scored its opponents 30-8 and have out-shot opposing team 181-105. Individually Malorie Rutledge has had a stellar campaign by pacing the nation with 11 assists and 1.10 helpers per game. Rutledge has also netted four goals for a team-leading 19 points. Rachel Yepez and Michelle Makasini lead the Tigers with five goals each. Yepez has also dished out five assists to sport 15 points on the year. In goal, Mo Isom has played every minute in between the pipes. The freshman has allowed eight goals for a 0.73 goals against average and made 36 stops on the year.
Alabama vs. LSU: The Series Sunday's meeting will mark the 13th time the two programs square off. The two teams have met six times in Baton Rouge with Alabama leading the series 4-2. The Crimson Tide holds the all-time series advantage at 9-3-1. The two programs last met at the LSU Soccer Complex on Oct. 15, 2006 where the Tigers earned a 4-2 win. Last season in Tuscaloosa the Tigers earned a 2-1 win in front of the Crimson Tide faithful.
Friday Night Lights: The Alabama soccer team has had great success under the lights on Friday nights. Of the eight wins on the season for the Tide five have come on a Friday night. Alabama has won five consecutive Friday night contests. The last time Alabama won back -to-back Friday night road SEC contests was in 2002. Overall Alabama sports a 5-1-1 overall record on Friday nights. The Tide has yet to lose a Friday night game at the Alabama Soccer Complex.
Production Increase: Under the direction of first year head coach Todd Bramble several Alabama veteran players are having career-years just 13 matches into the season. Seven players, five of which are upperclassmen have already set career bests in certain offensive categories. Senior Jessica Deegan has already bettered her all-time total of goals by finding the back of the net four times this season. She has also set a career season best with 11 points. Her previous best was eight points in 2005. Senior Kailey Corken has tallied a career best six goals this season. She found the net four times in 18 games in 2007. Sophomore forward Victoria Frederick and Brooke Rogers has dished out career-highs in assists with four apiece. Senior Jamie Zimmerman has also set a career best already this season with two helpers. Junior Kara Gudmens has bettered her career best saves output with 75 and has done the same in the shutout category with five.
Next Time Out: The Crimson Tide will return home for two matches. Alabama will face South Carolina on Friday, Oct. 17 at 7:00 p.m. and then take on No. 12 ranked Florida at 1:00 p.m. on Oct. 19. Both matches will be played at the Alabama Soccer Complex. The Florida contest will be televised by Cox Sports.
