Second road SEC game next for Middle Tennessee

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - The Middle Tennessee soccer team will play in its second road game of the season against a SEC opponent when it hits the field at 1 p.m. Sunday at Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The Blue Raiders opened the campaign August 20 at Mississippi.

"Alabama is a team that is very similar to some of the top teams in our league," head coach Aston Rhoden said. "Playing these types of games this close to conference play will certainly help us prepare for that.

"Alabama plays at a high level and it is a tough environment in which to play. It will be a tough weekend to play them with the home football game there Saturday and the high energy coming off of that. It will be a big challenge for us mentally, and definitely physically, and is something we need to help prepare us for conference play."

Middle Tennessee will play its second-straight contest in Alabama, after facing UAB Thursday in Birmingham. The Blue Raiders rallied for a 2-1 victory over the Blazers, as senior All-Sun Belt selection Vanessa Mueggler and sophomore Whitney Jorgenson scored within five minutes of each other in the second half. Mueggler raised her team-leading total to four goals, while Jorgenson posted the second game winner of her career.

Todd Bramble is in his fourth season as head coach of the Crimson Tide. A 10-year veteran of the women's soccer coaching ranks, he previously served as the head coach at Clemson for seven years prior to arriving at Alabama.

The Crimson Tide is 3-2 on the season following Friday's 4-1 loss at No. 20 Memphis. Alabama knocked off UAB, Middle Tennessee's opponent Thursday, 1-0 earlier this season. Rosaly Petriello paces the squad with three goals, while Brooke Rogers has added a pair to the attack.

The match will be the second of a four-game road swing for the Blue Raiders. Middle Tennessee will head to North Carolina next weekend for the Duke Nike Classic.

Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter @MTAthletics for continued updates.