Soccer Concludes Home Slate Against Georgia
10/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Oct. 25, 2008
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama soccer team (9-6-2, 4-4-1 SEC) will conclude its regular home season schedule on Sunday, Oct. 26 as the Crimson Tide will welcome the Georgia Bulldogs (7-9-1, 5-3-1 SEC) at 1:00 p.m. CT at the Alabama Soccer Complex. The match will mark senior day for nine players that will be suiting up for the last time in front of the Tuscaloosa faithful. The Crimson Tide earned a 1-1 draw on Thursday while the Bulldogs fell to Auburn 1-0 their last time out.
Who to Watch: Alabama sophomore defender Grace Lawson could not have picked a better time to score her first goal of the season. Lawson found the back of the net on the road with a little more than 30 seconds left in regulation to help the Tide move on and earn a 1-1 tie. The goal was her first of her collegiate career.
Last Time Out: The Alabama soccer team earned a key double-overtime draw on the road against Tennessee Thursday night. The two squads played the full 110 minutes to a 1-1 tie at Regal Soccer Stadium. Alabama used some last second heroics from Grace Lawson to send the match to overtime and earn the key point in Southeastern Conference division play. With just over 30 seconds left in the match the Crimson Tide got its goal from an unfamiliar source. Lawson, a first-year defender for the Tide moved the match to overtime with a perfect finish from 10-yards out in the upper right corner for her first goal of the season. Senior midfielder Kailey Corken set up the match-tying tally.
Scouting Georgia: The Bulldogs enter Tuscaloosa with a 7-9-1 overall record and a 5-3-1 conference mark. Georgia is coming off a tough 1-0 loss to Auburn on Thursday and now sits with 16 points in league play and fourth overall. The Dawgs have played one of the toughest schedules in the nation as they check in at No. 35 in the recent RPI rankings. As a team the Bulldogs have been out-scored 26-17 and have been out-shot 244-195 on the season. Individually Georgia is led by Carrie Patterson and her 14 points on five goals and four assists. Ashley Miller closely follows with 11 points on five goals and one assist. In between the pipes Michelle Betos has played the majority of the minutes. Betos sports a 1.43 goals against average and has made 85 saves and posted four shutouts. The Bulldogs were slated to finish third in the SEC East according to the coach's preseason poll.
Alabama vs. Georgia The Series: Sunday's meeting will mark the 12th time the two programs face off. Georgia leads the all-time series 8-3 and is riding a three-match winning streak against the Tide. The Bulldogs lead the series in Tuscaloosa 3-2. UGA has out-scored UA 24-17 in the series and 11-8 in Tuscaloosa. The two teams last met on Oct. 28, 2007 in Athens where UGA earned a 3-1 win. The Bulldogs won the last meeting in Tuscaloosa on Oct. 22, 2006 5-1.
Bramble vs. Georgia: Alabama head coach Todd Bramble has faced Georgia twice in his career posting a 1-1 record. Clemson posted a 3-2 win over then ranked No. 25 Georgia in 2002. The two squads are all square in goals scored with a four apiece. Bramble last met the Bulldogs in a 1-2 loss in a neutral location in 2003.
Senior Day: The match against Georgia will mark the last time nine members of the Crimson Tide suit up in front of the home crowd. The pregame festivities will include Alex Butera, Kailey Corken, Jessica Deegan, Kara Gudmens, Cara Kelly, Karen Lansden, Callie Pike, Colleen Posey and Jamie Zimmerman. The nine players have combined to play 505 games for the Crimson Tide.
Race to Orange Beach: The Alabama soccer team currently sits in seventh place in the overall SEC standings and is tied for third in the SEC West. Eight teams will make its way down to Orange Beach for the conference tournament. On the heels of the Tide is Arkansas with 12 points and Ole Miss with 10 points. The last time Alabama played in the SEC Tournament was in 2004 when the Crimson Tide fell to Florida 2-0 on Nov. 3. Prior to 2004, the last time Alabama played in the SEC tournament was in 1998.
Next Time Out: Alabama will conclude its regular season on the road against rival Auburn. The Crimson Tide will head to the plains on Friday, Oct. 31 for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. The rivalry match could dictate the postseason chances for Alabama.
