Alyssa Whitehead
School: Samford (SoCon member 2008-present)
Sport: Women's Soccer
Years Competed: 2008-11
Major/Degree: Biochemistry, 2012
Relevant Statistics
Most decorated goalkeeper in school history ... Samford’s all-time record-holder in career shutouts with 34, which is tied for second in SoCon history ... registered a career-high 120 saves during her senior campaign in 2011 ... started in 50 consecutive matches to close out her career ... shattered the previous career record of 24.5 shutouts during her junior campaign and added six more shutouts as a senior ... holds Samford’s record for consecutive shutout minutes with 730, which was set Nov. 7, 2008 – Sept. 27, 2009 ... holds every single-season goalkeeping record in school history, including a nation’s-best 0.31 goals-against average in 2009 and 12 shutouts in 2010 ... her 0.31 GAA in 2009 is the SoCon single-season record and the 12 shutouts in 2010 is tied for second in SoCon history ... finished her four-year career with a 0.74 GAA, a SoCon record at the time and now the third-best mark in league history ... led the league in shutouts in three of her four seasons and in GAA twice.
Team Record(s)/Finishes
2008: 9-9-3 (8-1-2 SoCon, 3rd)
2009: 12-1-5 (7-1-3 SoCon, T2nd)
2010: 13-6-3 (8-2-1 SoCon, 2nd) - SoCon tournament runner-up
2011:
14-6-2 (9-0-2 SoCon, 1st) - SoCon regular-season title, SoCon tournament title, NCAA appearance
Conference Honors/Awards
2011 First-Team All-SoCon
2011 SoCon All-Tournament Team
2011 SoCon Player of the Month (October)
2011 SoCon Player of the Week (Oct. 25)
2010 Second-Team All-SoCon
2010 SoCon Player of the Month (October)
2010 SoCon Player of the Week (Sept. 14)
2009 First-Team All-SoCon
2009 SoCon Player of the Month (September)
2009 SoCon Player of the Week (Sept. 15)
2008 SoCon All-Freshman Team
2008 SoCon Player of the Week (Oct. 21)
National Honors/Awards
NSCAA All-Southeast Regional honors as a sophomore in 2009 after she finished the year with the best goals-against average in the nation at 0.31.
Professional Career
Upon her graduation from Samford in 2012, immediately signed to play professionally in Sweden, where she competed for the next three seasons for Umea Sodra of the Division 1 Norrettan League.
Other Notable Information
Was an assistant coach at Samford from 2015-17 ... helped lead the Bulldogs to a combined 42-15-5 overall record and a 24-2-1 record in SoCon play over those three seasons ... Samford earned regular-season championships all three years and won the 2016 SoCon tournament title and advanced to the NCAA tournament for a fourth time in school history ... in 2015, in her first year on head coach Todd Yelton’s staff, Samford tallied a 2-1 triumph over Wake Forest of the Atlantic Coast Conference.