Alabama soccer kicked off its 2025 campaign with a pair of victories on Thursday and Sunday, displaying an ability to win both away from home and at the Capstone.
6-2 win versus Louisiana Tech
The Crimson Tide opened the season on the road with a dominant win last Thursday over Louisiana Tech.
Six different players notched goals for Alabama, and the team outshot its opponents 25-9.
Ashley Roni scored the Crimson Tide’s first goal of the season in the game’s 10th minute. A cross from Gianna Paul set up the goal.
A goal from Cali Brewer, whose header was assisted by her sister Breezie Brewer in the 40th minute, then gave Alabama a 2-0 advantage.
The teams then traded blows by scoring a pair of goals each between the 49th and 68th minutes to make the score 4-2.
The Crimson Tide then slammed the door shut on a Louisiana Tech comeback with a pair of goals in the final 22 minutes, leading to a commanding 6-2 win.
“Great win tonight. I thought we had some very good moments in attack. We created a lot of good chances and scored some really nice goals,” head coach Wes Hart said. “To have six different goal scorers and six different assists shows that we have a lot of dangerous weapons and can score in a variety of ways.”
1-0 win versus Chattanooga
It appeared as though the Crimson Tide picked up where it left off in the first eight minutes of Sunday’s game, when Paul notched the game’s opening goal in the eighth minute of the contest.
The score happened when Paul challenged Chattanooga goalkeeper Caroline Ekern in front of her net, stealing possession and tapping the ball into the net.
This was the 30th goal of her career, tying her with Libby Probst for second most in program history.
Alabama dominated tempo throughout the rest of the game, outshooting its opponents 26-5, but was unable to add to its tally, resulting in a narrow 1-0 victory.
After the game, Hart said that it was a subpar performance from his team, calling the Crimson Tide’s effort “flat from the opening whistle.”
“Not our best soccer tonight,” Hart said. “We will take the win and move on. We pride ourselves on energy, work, activity, etc., but tonight we looked a little bit flat from the opening whistle. Credit to Chattanooga though. They made it hard on us.”
Alabama’s next test will come versus Michigan Thursday at 7 p.m. CT in Tuscaloosa.
“It was so great seeing the stands packed for our home opener. We will certainly need them on Thursday when we host Michigan,” Hart said.
