The streak is over. After 27 straight games without a loss, No. 9 Alabama soccer succumbed to Arkansas in a wholly disappointing performance.
The Razorbacks entered the game ranked No. 11 in the nation, good for second highest in the SEC. They quickly showed why, with graduate student Bea Franklin burying a ball in the top right corner of the net in just the fourth minute. Three minutes later, freshman Avery Wren followed suit with her first career goal.
And then came the dagger. Two-time All-American Anna Podojil scored off a perfect pass from Marshall transfer Morgan White to give Arkansas a 3-0 lead in the 15th minute. And despite Alabama firing off nine shots throughout the first half, it was clear that there would be no comeback today.
Any lingering doubt was removed when White scored two goals of her own in the second half to put the game at its final score of 5-0.
It was a disastrous outing for an Alabama team that had given up just five total goals on the season coming into the game.
“SEC games are difficult, especially on the road against an opponent like Arkansas,” head coach Wes Hart said. “They scored earlier and grabbed on to the momentum and never let go.”
There will always be a lot of blame to be handed out following any loss of this magnitude. In this game, the natural scapegoat would appear to be freshman goalie Coralie Lallier. Lallier has been splitting starts with sixth-year senior Dylan Pixtan. The two have alternated games throughout the season, and the unconventional strategy had worked perfectly through tonight. It appears as though Hart is content to write this off as one bad game and won’t change his approach going forward.
“I don’t blame Coralie for the goals tonight and don’t regret my decision to use her or won’t affect my decision for Sunday,” Hart said.
It was the Crimson Tide’s worst loss since 2016, when the team lost 6-0 to the eventual SEC champions Florida Gators in Gainesville. Hart, as usual, tried to keep things in perspective postgame.
“We will let this result sting for a bit and then we have no choice but to put it behind us and move on,” Hart said. “That’s the thing about our season. … You can’t celebrate wins for too long or dwell on losses. There’s always another game around the corner.”
In this case the next game will be back in Tuscaloosa against a good Vanderbilt team. The Commodores are fresh off a win against Ole Miss and have just one loss on the season. The game will kick off at 6 p.m. and air on SEC Network+.
