The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Women's Soccer Opens Season Against Pair Of SEC Foes
8/21/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Aug 21, 2013
Vanderbilt Game Links: Live Stats | Live Video
Ole Miss Game Links: Live Stats | Live Video
Game Notes 
BIRMINGHAM, Ala --- The UAB women’s soccer team opens its 2013 season on Friday when it travels to Nashville, Tenn. to take on the Commodores of Vanderbilt at 7 p.m. The Blazers finish the weekend with their home opener against Ole Miss on Sunday night.
Scouting The Commodores
The Commodores return their top two scorers, Cheyna Williams and Kelsey Tillman, from a year ago. The duo combined for 11 goals and seven assists. Williams led Vanderbilt with 61 shots, 29 of which came on frame. Alexa Levick got the nod in net for 17 contests last season for Vanderbilt, compiling a 5-7-5 record and a 1.34 goal against average. She made 88 saves and recorded three shutouts.
The 2012 Commodores finished with a 5-10-5 record and a 2-7-4 mark in SEC play. Vanderbilt averaged 1.20 goals a game while allowing 1.80 goals per contest.
Scouting The Rebels
The 2012 Rebels got off to a quick start, running off eight straight to start the season but struggled down the stretch en route to a 12-8 regular season mark. In the SEC Tournament, Ole Miss shut out LSU in its opener 1-0 before falling to 11th-ranked Florida 2-1 in the second round. The Rebels put up 45 goals on the season, a 2.05 goal per game pace, and allowed just 27.
Ole Miss is led by seniors Mandy McCalla and Rafaelle Souza. The pair tied for the team-high in goals (13), assists (7) and game winning goals (4) a year ago. Junior Kelly McCormick started all 22 games for the Rebels in 2012, posting a 13-9 record and a 1.27 goal against average.
Preseason Player To Watch
Midfielder Johanna Liney was selected as one of 16 women’s soccer players on the Conference USA Preseason Player to Watch list. The junior from Marietta, Ga., was a Third-Team All-C-USA honoree last season after leading the Blazers in goals (6), assists (3), points (15) and shots (39). Her 15 shots on goal also tied for a team-high.
Against The SEC
The Blazers open the season with two-straight contests against SEC opponents. The Green and Gold are 23-27-1 all-time against SEC teams and went 0-2 against such teams last season. A year ago, the Blazers dropped a 4-0 verdict to Alabama and a 4-1 decision to Ole Miss. The Blazers are 2-11 against Vanderbilt all-time and hold a 4-3 advantage over Ole Miss in the all-time series.
Experience Coming Back
UAB returns nine of its 11 starters from a year ago including top scorers Liney and Paige Hanks, who combined for 10 of the Blazers’ 18 goals scored last season. The back line of seniors Sam Bradford and Amy Harrison and junior Mary Catherine Combs have started a combined 93 games for the Green and Gold. And in net, sophomores Courtnie Northern and Angelica Jimenez both return for the Blazers.
Senior Leadership
The Blazers will field six seniors on this year’s squad including captains Sam Bradford, Kirsten Ebert and Amy Harrison. Other seniors on the team include Jasmine Kauka, Abby Phillips and Erin Pincombe.
For the latest news on Blazer sports, follow the UAB Athletics Twitter account: @UABathletics. For women's soccer news, follow @UABWomensSoccer.
