09/29/05–
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JAGUAR
SOCCER TRAVELS TO DENVER AND NORTH TEXAS
CONTACT:
Kit Strief
Click
Here for Complete Release
THE SETTING
The University of South Alabama women’s soccer team takes
a 4-2-1 record and a 2-0 mark in the Sun Belt Conference on the
first conference road trip of the season at Denver and North Texas.
USA has never beaten both Denver and North Texas in the same weekend
on the road.
SCOUTING SOUTH
ALABAMA
The University of South Alabama women’s soccer team enters
the 2005 season determined to gain prominence in the Sun Belt Conference.
The Jaguars are poised to climb the SBC ladder with a core of veteran
players and a talented pool of newcomers.
In his seventh
year at the helm, Jaguar coach Mike Varga remains focused on winning
the conference and playing in the NCAA’s. With this goal in
mind, Varga is optimistic about the team’s make-up, skill
level and exceptional versatility.
This season, the Jaguars are led by sophomore Kelly Tarrant who
has scored six goals and 13 points. Senior Rebecca Kahn is second
on the team with two goals and sophomore Jennifer Beckwith and freshman
Carly Williams are tied for third on the team with one goal each.
Beckwith and senior Tanya Allegretti lead the team with three assists
each.
In goal, freshman Kelsie Langford owns a 4-2-1 record and is averaging
a 0.94 goals against average and an 80 percent save percentage.
Credit the USA defense as Langford only saw two shots last weekend
in two games. USA outshot its opponents, 42-2.
Last year, Kahn earned second team All-Sun Belt Conference honors
for the second year in a row last season. Kahn led the Jaguars with
11 goals and 27 points. Kahn also led the team with a .314 shot
percentage. Senior Tanya Allegretti also returns to help lead the
offense after scoring eight goals in 2004.
RECAPPING LAST
WEEK
The Jaguars posted a pair of conference shutouts to open the SBC
slate with a 2-0 record for the first time since 2003. USA defeated
Arkansas-Little Rock on Sept. 23 2-0 with both goals coming from
Tarrant and the assists were both by sophomore Michelle Leppert.
USA dominated the game, outshooting the Trojans 25-1. On Sept. 25,
USA scored its second consecutive game with a goal off a corner
kick as the Jaguars won 1-0 on a goal by Beckwith with the assists
to Allegretti and Tarrant. USA scored the goal in the 20th minute
and held the Indians’ to one shot.
SCOUTING DENVER
The Pioneers open the 2005 SBC campaign this weekend aginst the
Jaguars. Denver comes into the week with a 3-5-1 record after playing
last weekend against two teams ranked in the top 10. Denver lost
to No. 4 UCLA 1-0 and No. 9 Pepperdine, 4-0 on the road. DU has
already played five teams ranked in the top 30 or are currently
receiving votes. DU is led by sophomore Taryn Hemmings who leads
the offense with nine points on three goals and three assists. Junior
Lleane Grimditch has eight points on four goals. Goalkeeper Dani
Wiley has a 3-5-1 record thus far and is posting a 76 percent save
percentage. Wiley has two shutouts this season.
LAST TIME THEY
MET
Denver leads the all-time series 4-1, including a 1-0 victory at
“The Cage” last year. The Pioneers scored the game winner
in the 80th minute off Amber Angermeirer as Grimditch took a 10-yard
blast from the left post for the score. Angermeirer stopped six
shots in the game. The Jaguars were outshot 14-7 in the game.
SCOUTING NORTH
TEXAS
North Texas enters the week with a 5-2-2 record after both games
were cancelled last week due to Hurricane Rita. UNT was scheduled
to play Texas Woman’s College and Northwester State. Even
with those games being cancelled, the Mean Green have not been defeated
since Aug. 27 in a 2-1 loss to UTEP. That is a span of seven-straight
games without a loss. UNT opens Sun Belt action on Friday against
Troy, before hosting the Jaguars on Sun. Oct. 2 at 1 p.m.
Heather Hutyra leads the team with nine goals and 19 points. She
is second on the team with 33 shots and leads the team with 20 shots
on goal. Kristen Campbell is second on the team in goals with four
and leads the team with five assists.
In goal, UNT is led by Kandice Ellis who is 4-1-1 in seven games.
She has an 0.81 goals against average and has 33 saves for an 86
percent average. She also has two shutouts to her credit. Kristen
Steel and Briana Buchanan also have seen action in goal this season.
LAST TIME THEY
MET
USA and North Texas met twice in 2004 as the Mean Green sent the
Jaguars home from the conference tournament in November with a 2-1
victory. Earlier in the year, UNT also posted a 1-0 victory over
USA. North Texas owns a 7-1 record in the all-time series. USA’s
lone win came in the first meeting in the series on Oct. 1, 2000
as USA posted a 1-0 victory at “The Cage.”
SHOTS AND DEFENSE
The USA Jaguars outshot both Arkansas-Little Rock and Arkansas State
this past weekend 42-2. Never in the history of USA women’s
soccer have the Jaguars allowed one shot in consecutive games in
a weekend series. USA shot a season-best 25 shots against Arkansas
Little Rock on Sept. 23 and followed that up with 17 against Arkansas
State on Sept. 25.
SET PIECE PLAYS
PAY OFF
The Jaguars have scored goals off corner kicks in consecutive games.
USA scored the first goal of a 2-0 victory over Arkansas-Little
Rock on Sept. 23. The first of two goals by Tarrant came off the
set piece in the 31st minute. Leppert was credited with the assist.
In the Sept. 25 game against Arkansas State, Beckwith scored her
first goal of the season off a corner from Allegretti and Tarrant
for the game winner.
JAGUAR KUDDOS...AGAIN
Five Jaguars earned All-Tournament honors after their play in the
KELME Jaguar Invitational this past weekend. Sophomore Michelle
Leppert, sophomore Kelly Tarrant, sophomore Hallie Robertson, senior
Rebecca Kahn and freshman Chiara Greco all were named to the 11-player
all-tournament team. Tarrant earned Offensive MVP and Robertson
was named Defensive MVP. Four Jaguars were named to the KELME Port
City Classic All-Tournament team Aug. 26 and 28th.
JAGS WIN AGAIN
The USA women’s soccer team won its second tournament of the
year on Sept. 18. USA defeated Louisiana-Monroe, 1-0 and tied Northwestern
State, 1-1 to take home the 2005 KELME Jaguar Invitational crown.
USA won the 2005 KELME Port City Classic (Aug. 26 and 28) after
defeating Birmingham-Southern 2-1 in the season opener.
TOP FRESHMAN
Freshman Chiara Greco leads the team with 22 shots thus far. She
tallied a career best seven shots and five on goal during the 2005
KELME Jaguar Invitational (Sept. 16 and 18.) In goal, freshman Kelsie
Langford has a 0.94 goals against average thus far. She has only
given up one goal in the past four games. She also has three shutouts
to her credit.
PUT ME IN COACH
Senior Rebecca Kahn came off the bench in the second half of a 1-0
victory over Louisiana-Monroe on Sept. 16. Not more than five minutes
after Kahn got into the game, she scored the game winning goal for
the Jaguars to snap a two-game losing streak.
SUPER SOPHOMORE
Sophomore Kelly Tarrant leads the Jaguars with six goals so far
this season. Senior Rebecca Kahn is second with two and sophomore
Jennifer Beckwith and freshman Carly Williams have one score each.
KATRINA EFFECTS
Three games this season have been cancelled due to the effects of
Hurricane Katrina. USA was scheduled to play Toledo in the final
game of the 2005 KELME Port City Classic (Aug. 28), but due to the
impending hurricane that came the next day, the game was cancelled.
USA was supposed to travel to Louisiana State on Sept. 2 which also
was cancelled and a home game on Sept. 4 against Mississippi State
was cancelled.
OUT IN THE COMMUNITY
After Hurricane Katrina came through the area, the USA women’s
soccer team went out into the community going door to door helping
people pickup their yards, shingles or whatever else they needed
done to assist in storm cleanup. USA men’s basketball and
volleyball also were out in the community after the storm to help.
JAGUARS PICKED
SIXTH IN COACH’S POLL
The South Alabama Jaguars were picked to finish sixth in the 2005
preseason coach’s poll, released this week by the Sun Belt
Conference. USA received 51 points, ahead of Louisiana-Lafayette
(42), Arkansas State (31), Arkansas-Little Rock (20) and Troy (18).
North Texas was picked to win the conference receiving 92 points
and five first place votes.
PRESEASON COACH’S
POLL
Points
1. North Texas (5) 92
2. Denver (3) 89
3. Middle Tennessee (2) 87
4. Florida International 64
5. Western Kentucky 56
6. South Alabama 51
7. Louisiana-Lafayette 42
8. Arkansas State 31
9. Arkansas-Little Rock 20
10. Troy 18
SEVEN JAGS NAMED
TO SBC ALL-TIME TEAM
Seven Jaguars were named to the Sun Belt Conference
All-Time Soccer Team earlier this week. The 30-person team consists
of seven players from USA and Western Kentucky; three players from
Arkansas State, Denver, Florida International and North Texas; and
two from Louisiana-Lafayette and Middle Tennessee. Jeff Hooke was
chosen as the Sun Belt’s all-time coach (Denver) and Marilyn
Marin was selected as the conference’s all-time player (North
Texas)
South Alabama’s
Selections
Cindy Rainville 1998-2001
Amber Angermeirer 2001-2004
Kyla Rogers 1999-2002
Rebecca Kahn 2002-pres.
Yolanda Jinga 1999-2002
Kathy Steinmetz 1999-2002
Keri Osborne 1999-2002
NO PLACE LIKE
HOME
South Alabama opened the 2005 season at home for the first time
in four years. The Jaguars defeated Birmingham-Southern in the opener
(8/26) USA opened the past three seasons on the road going 2-1 during
that span. USA is 7-5 all-time in season openers and is 3-2 at The
Cage in openers.
NEW FACES
South Alabama has six new faces this season and a number of them
will see significant action this this weekend. Freshmen Kelsie Langford,
Chiara Greco, Cortney Stewart, Dillon Rogers, Jenny Racine and Carly
Williams are all new to the program this year.
EXHIBITION SEASON
The Jaguars went 2-0 during the exhibition season as they defeated
the Alumni Team, 6-0 and Auburn-Montgomery, 6-0. Against the Alumni,
junior Jennifer Beckwith scored two goals and added an assist. The
very next weekend, USA posted the same margin against Auburn-Montgomery.
Senior Tanya Allegretti scored two goals and junior Karrie Johnson
added two assists.
2005 REDSHIRTS
The Jaguars will be redshirting three players this year, including
Brianna Nelson, Erika Fitzpatrick and Jenny Racine.
EXPERIENCED
SQUAD
The Jaguars return 14 letterwinners from last year’s squad,
including eight starters. Letterwinners returning include Rebecca
Kahn, Tanya Allegretti, Karrie Johnson, Kelly Tarrant, Tiffanie
Stewart, Sue Ahrens, Hallie Robertson, Michelle Leppert, Shoshana
Sevel, Erika Fitzpatrick, Jenn Edgar, Brianna Nelson, Allison Brubeck
and Heather Moore.
JAGUARS EVERYWHERE
The 2005 edition of the Jaguars features players from eight states
and Canada. Ohio and the Province of Ontario, Canada, make up the
largest portion of the team with six players from Ohio and four
from Ontario. Province of Alberta, Canada, has two players on the
roster for a total
of six from Canada. Three players from Florida, two players from
Virginia, Pennsylvania and Indiana, along with one from Alabama,
Oklahoma round out the 2005 squad.
JAGUARS HOST
2005 SUN BELT CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2005 Sun Belt Conference Championship returns to “The
Cage” on the campus of the University of South Alabama. The
tournament will run from Nov. 2-5 and the champion will receive
an automatic bid to the 2005 NCAA Championship. USA last hosted
the conference tournament in 2002. This will mark the third time
that the tournament has been held in Mobile.
RAIN, RAIN GO
AWAY
In the last four games home games, the Jaguars have battled through
numerous rain showers. USA and Northwestern State battled to a 1-1
tie as it poured during overtime and double overtime on Sept. 18.
USA and Arkansas-Little Rock battled through rain showers Sept.
23 and the Jaguars and Indians of Arkansas State battled through
a number of heavy downpours on Sept. 25.
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