Sept. 13, 2009

Final Stats

Memphis, Tenn. -

Box Score

Sophomore midfielder Lizzy Hildebrandt scored her first goal of the season in the 85^th minute to lead the Lady Tigers to a 2-1 victory over Alabama, Sunday afternoon in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Hildebrandt scored the game-winner after collecting a loose ball near the post. After collecting the ball, Hildebrandt guided the ball past Crimson Tide goalkeeper Justine Bernier, sending the Lady Tigers back to Memphis with the 2-1 victory. Hildebrandt finished the match with two shots and the game-winning goal.

"Lizzy came through for us today and she is a big time player," said head coach Brooks Monaghan. "Big time players have to perform and that's exactly what she did today.  I thought she had a really good performance today."

Freshman forward Averi Hallman netted her first career goal at the University of Memphis giving the Lady Tigers a 1-0 lead early in the second half. Hallman, making her third career start, connected with the help of junior forward Ashley Berra's first assist of the season. Berra received the ball at midfield, sped past two Crimson Tide defenders, and lured Bernier to play the ball, setting up Hallman's goal.

"Averi is continuing to improve and she is somebody that has a lot of potential," Monaghan said. "She is a dangerous forward and hard for defenses to mark. If she keeps staying forward she will have lots of opportunities to prove how good of a player she really is. She still has a lot to learn but she is doing a great job of giving us a lot of valuable minutes."

Alabama tied the game in the 55^th minute off a free kick just outside the 18-yard box. Crimson Tide junior forward Brooke Rogers scored the goal after Alabama ran a quick set play. Midfielder Rosaly Petriello played the free kick, crossed it to Kelsey King who found Rogers in the penalty area. Rogers connected from five yards out making the score 1-1, with assists by Petriello and King.

Lady Tiger goalkeeper Elise Kuhar-Pitters earned the victory in the net for Memphis. Kuhar-Pitters is now three victories short of former Lady Tiger goalkeeper Heather Chinellato (1996-98) for fourth place on the all-time goalkeeping victories list.

The Lady Tigers had an early scoring opportunity as sophomore midfielder Julia Ignacio notched a shot off the left post in the second minute of the match. Ignacio finished the match with two shots and one shot on goal.

Memphis junior midfielder Vendula Strnadova entered Sunday's match against Alabama needing two shots to tie former Lady Tiger Christy Caswell (1995-98) for fifth place on the all-time shots list. Strnadova tied Caswell in the 29^th minute as she got her 130^th career shot that was saved by Bernier. In the 20^th minute, Strnadova's first shot missed high in the 20^th minute after receiving a pass from Ignacio just inside the 18-yard box. In the 84^th minute, Strnadova passed Caswell for solo possession of fifth place with her 131^st career shot that was saved by Bernier. Strnadova is now one shot shy of tying former Lady Tiger Jennifer Vossen for fourth place on the all-time list.

The Lady Tigers outshot Alabama 12-4 in the second half and 16-8 for the match. Junior defender Kelsey Bakker, Strnadova and Hallman each placed two shots on goal leading Memphis to an 8-2 advantage in shots on goal.

"It was a must win today, and we had to bounce back after a tough loss Friday," Monaghan said. "We let that game slip away and we came back today and won a very physical game. It is not easy to play an opponent didn't play on Friday.  Sunday's are brutal to come back and have to play after 48 hours after a match and we were ready to play today. I was proud that they found a way to win the game."

Memphis will return to Mike Rose Soccer Complex Friday Sept. 18^th, as the Lady Tigers will play host to Saint Louis University. Kick-off is scheduled for 8 pm.  The Lady Tigers will also play host to the University of Evansville on Sunday Sept. 20^th for a 1:30 pm kick-off at Mike Rose Soccer Complex.