Soccer Heads to Fayetteville to Play Arkansas
10/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Oct. 9, 2008
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama soccer team (7-4-1, 2-2-0 SEC) will head on the road for two SEC contests this weekend. The Crimson Tide will open the weekend slate against the Arkansas Razorbacks (9-3-0, 2-2-0 SEC) on Friday, Oct. 10 at Razorback Field. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. The match will be televised on FSN South with Pete Pranica and Jenn Hildreth calling the action.
Who to Watch: Alabama freshman midfielder Shannon Lathrop has been a key factor for the Tide as a true freshman. The late signee out of Birmingham, Ala. recorded her first career collegiate goal in the loss against Mississippi. Lathrop scored the goal two minutes into the second half to pull Alabama back into the contest. The newcomer has played in 11 games and has started in three. Lathrop has tallied three points on a goal and an assist. The 5-7 midfielder handed out her first career assist in the very first match of the season at Memphis.
Last Time Out: The Alabama soccer team dropped its first contest at home all season by falling to Mississippi 2-1. The Rebels scored in the first 25 seconds of the contest which marks the first goal allowed by the Crimson Tide at home this season. After the quick goal by Mississippi they struck again in the 36th minute. Alabama pulled to within one when freshman Shannon Lathrop tallied her first career goal. After getting out-shot 13-7 in the first half, the Tide increased the pressure and rallied off nine shots to the four by the Rebels.
Scouting Arkansas: Arkansas returns home with a 9-3 overall record and a 2-2 conference marks. The Razorbacks dropped two consecutive matches for the first time all season with losses to Georgia and Tennessee. Arkansas has spent most of its time on the road thus far, only playing four matches in Fayetteville, compiling a 3-1 record. As a team, Arkansas has out-scored its opposition 25-8, including a 15-3 ledger at Razorback Field. Leading the way offensively is Kelly O'Connor and Lindsay Patterson. O'Connor paces the squad with 12 points on five goals and two assists. Patterson also has netted five goals and handed out one helper. In goal, Britini Williams has played the majority of the minutes. Williams has started in 12 contests and sports a 0.68 goals against average while making 41 saves and posting a league leading seven shutouts.
Alabama vs. Arkansas: The Series Friday's meeting will mark the 14th time the two programs square off. The two teams have met seven times in Fayetteville with the series tied at 3-3-1. The two programs last met at what was formerly known as Lady Back Field on Oct. 13, 2006. Arkansas earned a 5-0 victory on its home turf to even the series. The two teams last squared off last season on Oct. 12 in Tuscaloosa where Alabama earned a 2-0 victory.
Gudmens in the Rankings: Junior goalkeeper Kara Gudmens is not only ranked in the SEC but nationally as well. Gudmens ranks 23rd in the nation with a .868 save percentage. Behind the play of Gudmens, the Crimson Tide rank 23rd in the country in shutout percentage (.583). In the conference the 5-9 keeper ranks fourth in saves (66), third in saves per game (6.00), third in shutouts (5) and in shutouts per game with 0.45. Her 0.93 goals against average ranks fourth in the SEC.
League Leaders: Alabama senior midfielder Kailey Corken is currently ranked third in goals with five and ninth in goals per game with 0.42. She is also ranked second in game winning goals with two.Junior Kelsey King is ranked sixth in assists with four and seventh in assists per game with 0.33. Senior midfielder Jessica Deegan checks in at fifth in shots with 37 and eighth in shots per game with 3.08. Sophomore forward Victoria Frederick has drilled 17 shots on frame which ranks seventh overall and is ranked eighth in shots on goal per game with 1.42.
Production Increase: Under the direction of first year head coach Todd Bramble several Alabama veteran players are having career years just 12 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 five 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 three apiece. Senior Jamie Zimmerman has also set a career best already this season with two helpers. Junior Kara Gudmens has equaled her career best saves output with 66 and has done the same in the shutout category with five.
Next Time Out: Alabama will conclude its weekend against LSU on Sunday, Oct. 12 at 1:00 p.m. at the LSU Soccer Complex. The Crimson Tide will then return home for two matches. Alabama will face South Carolina on Friday, Oct. 17 at 7:00 p.m. and then take on Florida at 1:00 p.m. on Oct. 19. Both matches will be played at the Alabama Soccer Complex.
