It just wasn’t the weekend the team wanted. Both games were against steep competition, but no matter what the Crimson Tide tried to do, the weekend just didn’t turn out the way the soccer team had hoped.
“The way we’re going to move forward is by not changing a thing,” coach Todd Bramble said. “We’re not taking any days off; we’re not going to feel sorry for ourselves; we’re not going to lighten our training load, and we’re not going to work harder. We’re going to stay in a routine. I don’t think we’ve been playing poorly, necessarily, but we’re going to prepare in a way that’s going to give us a chance to go over to Mississippi next week and get six points on the road.”
The weekend marked two losses for the Crimson Tide, falling to both Texas A&M Friday and No. 23 Kentucky Sunday. Alabama fell to 5-10 (4-4 SEC.)
Alabama lost 3-0 to the Aggies. Though the Alabama Soccer Stadium was packed with fans and alumni, the Crimson Tide couldn’t gain footing against them. Bramble said the fault didn’t lie with his team.
“I’m taking total responsibility for this loss,” Bramble said. “I chose the wrong tactics. The way I had us organized, it just gave them too much room, too much time to play. I don’t fault [the] players.”
Friday’s blowout didn’t undermine Sunday’s game against Kentucky. Despite the fact that the Crimson Tide was upended by the No. 23 team 4-2, Alabama scored the first goal within minutes. Junior Theresa Diederich scored the first goal off a penalty kick.
“I think it really helped our confidence,” Diederich said. “I think it helped us keep playing hard, knowing that we had a chance and build everyone’s spirits up. You can’t always get a win, but that’s just how it goes.”
Kentucky retaliated Diederich’s penalty kick with two goals of its own. With only 45 seconds left in the half, one of the Wildcats managed to get a surprise goal over goalie Emily Rusk’s head to end the half 3-1.
When the game resumed, freshman Auburn Mercer scored Alabama’s second goal in the 77th minute.
“Getting the chance to go up forward and scoring a goal feels great,” Mercer said. “[It] kind of gave us the motivation [we needed.]”
With the second goal under its belt, Alabama tried to tie the game but was unsuccessful when Kentucky scored its fourth and final goal.
Six yellow cards were given during Sunday’s game, two of them against Kentucky’s coaches. The rest were against players.
Alabama has three games left in the regular season. The Crimson Tide will be on the road this weekend against both Mississippi State and Ole Miss.
“Nothing has been decided yet,” Bramble said. “This conference always comes down to the final game to decide everything. We’re still fighting for all of that.”
