In the soccer team’s home opener on Aug. 22, the Crimson Tide managed a 3-1 win against the North Alabama Lions.
“They made it really hard on us,” Alabama head coach Wes Hart said. “They put many numbers behind the ball, defended tough and made it hard. There wasn’t much space to exploit.”
After losing its first game of the season 3-0 to TCU, the team has made a comeback, winning its past two games.
“Our first game obviously didn’t go as planned,” forward Itala Gemelli said, “we reflected, watched some film, all talked amongst players and coaches and everything, and we really focused on two or three things we want to improve out here.”
The game was a relentless, back-and-forth struggle with both teams vying to keep possession, but North Alabama managed to take the first lead of the game with a shot by forward Hope Lensing.
Nearly 10 minutes later Gemelli equalized the game with a goal, with an assist from forward Nedya Sawan. Nadia Ramadan scored the team’s next goal less than two minutes later to give the Crimson Tide the lead.
It wasn’t until later in the game that Alabama extended its advantage to 3-1 with a penalty kick scored by Ramadan in the 66th minute, leaving her with a team high of two goals.
Gemelli emphasized that moving forward was always the goal and that continuing on, even through the end of the game, was what sealed the win.
Alabama struggled to settle the ball and connect extended strings of passes. For the most part, North Alabama played a defensive game, clearing the ball, while Alabama looked to take it to the goal line and take it to the goal line and get shots off cross passes.
The Crimson Tide led the game with six shots on goal compared to North Alabama’s two. The team also led the match in both shots (22-5) and corner kicks (10-1). Alabama didn’t let up on defense, either, allowing fewer shots on goal than its opponent: Alabama goalie Coralie Lallier recording one save, while the Lions’goalie, Allanah Blye, had to make three.
Despite falling in the season opener, the team remains optimistic about the future of the season and the program.
“I think we really just want to come back and show what Bama soccer really is,” Ramadan said.
The team will travel to Tennessee to take on Chattanooga at 5 p.m. CT on Aug. 25. Fans may tune in to the match on ESPN+.
