Soccer Heads to Orange Beach for the SEC Tournament
11/1/2011 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Nov. 1, 2011
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama soccer team (9-7-3 overall, 4-5-2 SEC) makes its first trip to Orange Beach for the Southeastern Conference Tournament since 2008. The Crimson Tide, seeded eighth, will face off against regular season champion and top seeded South Carolina (15-5 overall, 9-2-0 SEC) on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 5 p.m. CT, at the Orange Beach Sportsplex.
LAST TIME OUT
Alabama continued its late season hot streak, this time against in-state rival Auburn in soccer's version of the Iron Bowl last Friday night. In dramatic fashion, the Tide knocked off the Tigers 3-2, behind defender Ashley Willis' 88th minute strike, to clinch their first winning record since 2003 and a berth in the SEC Tournament. The Tide came out firing, and finally went ahead on a penalty kick in the 41st minute on Theresa Diederich's team leading seventh goal on the year and fourth from the penalty spot. Alabama doubled its advantage in the 62nd minute when sophomore forward Kendall Khanna pounced on a rebound from Molly Atherton's shot to give the Tide a 2-0 lead. Auburn began pushing forward and was finally able to get on the board in the 77th minute. The Tigers evened the score eight minutes later on a penalty kick, setting the stage for Willis' heroics. Following a clearance by Auburn, Willis launched a shot from the left side, 30 yards out, that found nothing but the back post netting to give the Tide the eventual 3-2 win.
WHO TO WATCH
Junior defender Ashley Willis has been a rock in defense for Alabama this season but her work in the attack has enabled to the Tide to have success this season. Willis has eight points on the season behind three goals and two assists with two of her goals being game winners, including her strike against Auburn to put Alabama into the tournament. The Colorado Spring, Colo., native does more than score though. A starter for all 19 matches, she has only come out of the game for a total of 35 minutes all season, logging the second most minutes among position players on the team.
SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA
The Gamecocks enter the SEC Tournament as the number one seed and regular season champs for the first time in school history. On Friday night against five-time defending champion Florida, the Gamecocks scored twice in the first 22 minutes and held off the Gators to win, 2-1, their first victory ever in Gainesville. The Gamecocks have won a school record eight consecutive SEC matches. South Carolina is led by senior forward and SEC Offensive Player of the Year, Kayla Grimsley, who has 10 goals and nine assists on the year for 29 points. South Carolina has scored 41 times on the year, with goals coming from 10 different players and has only allowed 15 goals. In goal, they are led by SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, Sabrina D'Angelo, who has given up just 13 goals on the season, good for a 0.76 goals against average, tops in the SEC. She has three shutouts on the year. Shelley Smith, who was named the SEC Coach of the Year, is in her 11th season as South Carolina's head coach. She has posted a 171-111-30 record overall and has led the Gamecocks to four consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
SERIES HISTORY
South Carolina leads the series 10-3. The Tide hasn't beaten the Gamecocks since 2008. UA lost to SC earlier this season, 4-1, in Columbia. The Tide gave up three goals in the first 24 minutes of the match and could only muster a Theresa Diederich penalty kick goal. The meeting will be the first between the two teams at the SEC Tournament and the first on a neutral field.
RETURN TO ORANGE BEACH
The Alabama soccer team will head to Orange Beach for the Southeastern Conference Tournament for the first time since 2008 and for just the third time since 1998. The Tide will be making its eighth trip to the tournament, sporting a 2-7 record. Alabama last went to the SEC Tournament when in head coach Todd Bramble's first season at the helm in 2008. The Crimson Tide fell to the No. 1 seeded Gators, 2-1, on Nov. 5. UA finished the 2004 campaign with a 10-11 overall record - its last double digit win total. Prior to the last trip, the 2004 Alabama team earned its last victory in the SEC Tournament on Nov. 5, 1998 when the Tide blanked Tennessee, 1-0, in Tuscaloosa. UA won 13 games that season and made its last appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
BRAMBLE IN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS
Alabama head coach Todd Bramble makes his second appearance at the SEC Tournament. Before the first round loss to Florida in 2008, Bramble led Clemson to a 4-7 ACC Tournament record and under his tutelage Bramble had five All-ACC Tournament selections. Bramble led Clemson to seven-straight NCAA Tournaments and had his Tigers squad advance to three ACC semifinals and one finals appearance.
THREE EARN ALL-SEC HONORS
The Alabama soccer team garnered three All-Southeastern Conference accolades, the league office announced Monday. Senior goalkeeper Justine Bernier (Oakville, Ontario, Canada) was named to the second team while Pia Rijsdijk (Numansdorp, Netherlands) and Theresa Diederich (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) nabbed All-Freshmen team honors. This marks the third time Alabama has earned three All-SEC honors in the same season, tying with last year and the 2004 season for the most in school history. With the second team selection, Bernier becomes the only Tide player in program history to earn All-SEC honors all four seasons.
WILLIS GARNERS WEEKLY HONORS
Alabama junior defender Ashley Willis was named to the College Soccer 360.com Primetime Performers of the week. Willis propelled the Crimson Tide to its first trip to Orange Beach since 2008. After Auburn rallied to even the score with less than five minutes remaining in regulation, Willis blasted the game-winner from over 30 yards out to secure the No. 8 seed at the Southeastern Conference Tournament. The goal was the third on the year for the outside back, as the Colorado Springs native has not just been a force on defense but a catalyst for the Tide offense. Willis ranks tied for third on the team with eight points on three goals and two assists.
FINISHING STRONG
The Alabama soccer team needed to finish the season strong to earn a berth into the SEC tournament and that is exactly what the Crimson Tide did. In the last five matches of the season, against four teams that were ranked at one point during the year, Alabama finished 3-1-1. The Tide earned wins against Arkansas (3-0), No. 24 Tennessee (1-0) and Auburn (3-2). The only loss came to No. 18 LSU (2-0) with the draw coming against Georgia (2-2) on the road. The Tide scored nine goals over that span and held its opponents to 1.15 goals per game, with two shutouts.
FIRST YEAR SCORERS
This season, the Tide is seeing a youth movement take over and lead the team in scoring. The top five scorers on the team have been on campus for two seasons or less. Redshirt freshman Theresa Diederich leads the team with seven goals overall and 15 points, while true freshman Pia Rijsdijk has scored four goals to go along with four helpers, to give her 12 points. Sophomores Kendall Khanna and Molly Atherton have chipped in as well, with Khanna scoring four times and Atherton with three goals on the year. True freshman Laura Lee Smith led the team in scoring for the first month of the season with three goals before missing action with an injury, but she is still fifth in scoring with seven points.
ONE GOAL OR LESS
The Alabama starting defense that features five upperclassmen, including four seniors has been the core of the success in 2011. The Crimson Tide has allowed one goal or less in 10 of the 19 matches this season, including six shutouts. Alabama has had two different streaks of allowing one goal or less in four straight matches. The Tide went 6-2-0 over that span. The last shutout for the Tide came against Tennessee (Oct. 20). It was the 20th clean sheet for Justine Bernier for her career.
TOUGH SLATE
Alabama head coach Todd Bramble put together a tough schedule in 2011. The Tide has eight teams on its schedule that are in the top 50 in the RPI. Also Alabama has played five teams that were ranked in the regular season. The Tide earned its first win over a ranked opponent since 1999 and after the win against No. 24 Tennessee, defeated two ranked opponents in the same season for the first time in school history. The last time the Tide defeated a ranked opponent before the two this season was in the opening match of the 1999 season, when the Tide downed No. 19 Vanderbilt, 2-1, in overtime on Aug. 27 in Tuscaloosa.
AROUND THE SEC
Freshman forward Pia Rijsdijk ranks sixth in the conference with 3.79 shots per game and also checks in fifth overall with 72 shots on the season. Senior goalkeeper Justine Bernier ranks third in the conference in saves (94), saves per game (5.53), and shutouts (6) and is fourth in shutouts per game (0.35). Bernier ranks fourth in the league with a .803 save percentage.
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 28th career victory (Oct. 28, Auburn) moving her closer to Tide great Amy Pseja, who holds the record with 30 career wins. Bernier has extended her career records in saves (432) and shutouts (20).
