Soccer Set to Conclude Home Slate Against Auburn
10/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Oct. 29, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama soccer team (6-9-1, 2-6-1) will host the Auburn Tigers (8-7-3, 5-5-0 SEC) this Friday, Oct. 30 with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. at the Alabama Soccer Stadium. The match will be the last played in Tuscaloosa this season and will also mark Senior Day as three members of the Crimson Tide will be playing their last match at home.
Last Time Out: Alabama lost 2-0 to Tennessee (8-7-3, 4-4-2 SEC) on Sunday at the Alabama Soccer Stadium. Both teams took 13 shots overall. Tennessee's Amy Harrison scored the first goal of the game in the 11th minute off an assist by Chelsea Hatcher. Mick Imgram scored the second goal of the game in the 76th minute off an assist by Julie Edwards. Alabama goalkeeper Justine Bernier made five saves on the afternoon.
Who to Watch: Alabama enters its final regular season weekend of the season. Sophomore goalkeeper Justine Bernier enters the contest ranked second in the conference in saves with 96 and leads the league with six saves per contest. On the other end of the field Auburn net minder Amy Howard paces the conference with 101. Bernier has made five or more stops in 11 of the last 12 games. On the offensive side of things junior Victoria Frederick still paces the team with 10 points on four goals and two assists.
Scouting Auburn: The Tigers enter Tuscaloosa with an 8-7-3 record overall and a 5-5-0 mark in conference action. The Tigers enter Friday's game against the Tide off a 2-0 win over Georgia. Caitlin King leads the Tigers in points (17), shots (68), and shots on goal (33). Rebecca Howell leads in goals (7) and is coming off a week in which she was named the SEC Player of the Week, and earned TopDrawer and Soccer America weekly honors. Katy Frierson leads in assists (8) and both are tide in game winning goals (3). In goal Amy Howard leads the conference with 101 saves and ranks second behind Bernier with 5.61 saves per game. The Tigers return a potent offense for 2009 after a record-setting 2008. Last year the team went 7-3-1 in league play, tying LSU for the division crown by recording its most goals (41) and points (135) since Auburn's 2002 team won the league title.
Series History: Auburn and Alabama have played 17 times overall with Alabama trailing 9-6-2. The Tide leads 4-3-1 at home. Alabama lost the last contest 4-0 between the two programs Oct. 31, 2008 in Auburn. The Tigers enter the contest with a three match winning streak. The winner of the match will take home the Iron Bowl of Soccer trophy.
Senior Day: Three seniors will be recognized before Friday' match against Auburn. Seniors Alex Butera (Orlando, Fla.), Kelsey King (Kingwood, Texas) and junior Grace Lawson (Hendersonville, Tenn.) will be the focus of the pregame festivities. Butera will be playing her 61st match in a Crimson Tide uniform. The former midfielder now defender has tallied 14 points on four goals and six assists. King will be playing her 62nd match and has recorded 21 points on eight goals and five assists. Lawson is logging her 55th match played and has tallied three points on one goal and one assist primarily from the defensive position.
Race to Orange Beach: Alabama currently sits tied for 10th in the SEC point standings with Kentucky. The Crimson Tide is trying to be one of the top eight teams in the standings and is currently five points off Vanderbilt, which sits in the eight spot with 12 points. Arkansas sits in ninth with eight points. Alabama does have a makeup game with Mississippi on Nov. 1 which could have huge playoff implications.
Goals and Wins: So far this season the Crimson Tide has played a very defensive brand of soccer but when they do find the back of the net it usually leads to a win. Alabama is 6-1 this season when it scores a goal with its only loss coming against Conference USA champion Memphis on Sept. 13. Alabama has played in five one goal games and has won four of them, posting two 1-0 shutouts over that span.
Rookie Minutes: Alabama head soccer coach Todd Bramble has had to rely heavily on his freshmen class for significant minutes in 2009. Eight newcomers have found time on the field for the Crimson Tide. Among the eight, six have earned a start. Kaitlyn Smith and Ashley Willis have started every contest for the Tide. Willis leads all position players with 1464 minutes played. Josie Rix has also started over 10 matches as she has found her way into the starting lineup 11 times.
Next Time Out: Alabama will head to Oxford on Sunday, Nov. 1 to play Mississippi. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m. at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium. The match is a makeup game from earlier in the season.
