The University of Alabama women’s soccer team endured a tough battle against the Ghana U-17 national team on Monday that ended at 2-2 in regulation. The Crimson Tide lost a penalty shootout 4-3.

The match – which did not count against the Tide’s record – was one that allowed Alabama to rest a few starters as well as give a few of the younger players good match experience.

“It was a fun night and a great cultural experience for both teams,” head coach Todd Bramble sad. “This game did a lot for us in the fact that we got to play and develop our reserves for the first 45 minutes and then be put in a pressure situation and comeback with our starters in the second half.”

Alabama’s starting squad, which consisted mostly of reserves, struggled at the start of the match, giving up two goals in the first 10 minutes, including an impressive 22-yard strike off a free kick from Ghana’s Priscilla Sesu. Despite getting outshot 12-4 at half, the reserves began to show more resilience midway through the match as they limited Ghana’s chances of extending the lead further.

The Tide began the second half with the core of the normal starting unit, and it didn’t take long before Alabama was on the board and put the game back within reach. In the 62nd minute, freshman Kendall Khanna passed it far post to senior Victoria Frederick for the first Tide goal. Alabama became energized after the score and began applying more pressure to Ghana.

The push by the tide began to show in the shot totals as Alabama tallied 12 shots in the second half to Ghana’s 9. One of the Tide’s shots was an impressive attempt from outside the 18-yard line by freshman Molly Atherton, as she recorded the first goal of her career to even the score at 2-2 with less than 10 minutes to go.

“It felt great for that to be my first career goal,” Atherton said. “I hadn’t played as well as I would have liked the first 40 or so minutes before that. To give our team the equalizer and hopefully a chance to win felt pretty good. I think I’ve been waiting for this for the first three games and I kept telling myself, ‘I’m going to get my first goal tonight.’ It happened tonight, and it is a big relief.

The equalizer was a positive for the Tide as it showed the team’s will to fight back in pressure situations. Bramble was pleased with the overall effort and what the team can gain from facing a tough opponent this early in the season.

“I couldn’t have asked for anything more,” Bramble said. “That Ghana team is a week away from opening up in the U-17 World Cup in Trinidad, so we’re their last preparation game and they came out with their best team. But, what a great night against a skillful team. It’s great to have them here, the cultural experience. We had a good crowd to see them and it was a great night here at the stadium.”

Alabama gets a bit of rest until their showdown against Chattanooga on Sunday at the Alabama Soccer Complex.