Sept. 4, 2011

Box Score

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The Alabama soccer team bounced back in a big way as it downed No. 22 ranked San Diego State, 1-0, Sunday afternoon at the SDSU Sports Deck. With the win the Crimson Tide improve to 3-2-1 overall while the Aztecs also move to 3-2-1.

"The kids showed a lot of character today," Alabama head coach Todd Bramble said. "With all the dynamics of traveling across the country and coming off a discouraging performance on Friday, the fact that we were able to rebound and persevere was huge. This was a big step forward for us."

With the back of the net eluding the Tide for the last three matches, it only took 13 minutes for Alabama to get on the score sheet.

The Tide turned an Aztec corner into a quick counterattack as sophomore Kendall Khanna and freshman Laura Lee Smith went three-quarters the distance of the field to give Alabama a lead it would not relinquish.

Khanna tallied the game-winner for Alabama as the duo broke away from the Aztec defense and buried her second goal of the season on a pass from Smith from 15 yards out.

Senior goalkeeper Justine Bernier punched out the corner and Lee was able to promptly make a long run before passing off to Khanna on the 2-on-1 advantage.

Alabama was efficient on the shooting end as it only tallied three shots on the afternoon compared to 21 by SDSU. Khanna led the Tide with two shots. Cat Walker paced the Aztecs with seven shots, putting three on frame.

Bernier tallied her second shutout of the season as the net-minder recorded seven saves for Alabama. Seniors K.K. Duffy, Veronika Wolfkeil and junior Ashley Willis played the full 90 minutes on the backline. Senior Carly Mygrants also chipped in on the defense end, playing 77 minutes.

Alabama returns home from its farthest road trip of the season to play four straight matches in Tuscaloosa. Next week the Tide will host in-state opponent UAB on Friday, Sept. 9. The match against the Blazers will mark the only fixture on the weekend as Alabama doesn't return to the pitch until a Sunday, Sept. 18 match against Morehead State.