Smith’s goal was the start of Alabama’s success Friday night against No. 22 Georgia. Freshman Lacey Clarida scored the second goal of the night, securing Alabama’s 2-0 victory over the Bulldogs.
The win marks the final home victory of the season. It also clinched Alabama’s first trip to the SEC tournament since 2011.
“It means a lot [to me and the team],” Clarida said. “But we shouldn’t just look at rankings because we came out and made them not look like a top 25 team.”
Alabama (10-4-3, 5-2-2 SEC) kept the intensity high throughout both halves. Coach Todd Bramble said Friday’s game demonstrated the high level Alabama is playing.
“We were super balanced,” Bramble said. “I thought we were really good defensively, playing low pressure. We were really good playing high pressure.”
Also noteworthy was senior Pia Rijsdijk’s entrance against Georgia. The senior hasn’t seen action since suffering a leg injury against Middle Tennessee in August. She played for 34 minutes.
