Having reached the NCAA Tournament last year for just the third time in program history, Alabama soccer won’t be satisfied just to qualify again.

“We don’t want to be content and complacent … [Winning 12 games] was great for a lot of reasons, but I think right now for us it’s about how can we build off that,” coach Wes Hart said. “Last year we got to the NCAA Tournament, well this year can we win a couple games?”

Since the team began fall camp in early August, its motto has been “Find A Way,” whether that’s executing a responsibility on a specific play or digging deep to eke out a win in a tight game. That mantra was put to the test even before the season officially started, in an exhibition against No. 25 Tennessee.

“We were going back and forth the entire time,” senior midfielder Emma Welch said. “Tennessee’s forward hit the crossbar five times. You’ve just got to find a way to roll it off your back, get your mindset right and just keep going, and we ended up scoring in the 86th minute.”

Six players had multiple shots against the Vols, a number Alabama matched only twice in 11 SEC games last season. All six are returners from last year – three seniors and three sophomores – and the team retains six of its top seven attackers from 2017.

Hart mentioned senior forward Abbie Boswell, who led the team with eight goals last season, and junior forward Casey Wertz as key returners. He added that Welch is one of the best one-on-one attackers in the SEC and sophomore Taylor Morgan has looked like one of the best central midfielders in the conference.

Katie Lockwood and Emma Thomson, transfers from Eastern Florida State and Penn State, respectively, will also add depth and experience to the team.

One integral player from last year, however, is not among Alabama’s returners: Kat Stratton, who had started 39 of the Crimson Tide’s last 40 official games at goalkeeper. Sophomore Alex Plavin started the other one, and now she’s tasked with filling the void vacated by Stratton.

“A lot of people were stressed about losing Kat, but Alex has done a great job jumping in, being a voice in the back and guiding us in the right direction,” Morgan said. “It’s awesome that she’s already found herself.”

For as much confidence as the team has in its experienced attack, Hart is building toward a greater sense of urgency and accountability on the other side of the ball.

“There is an onus on us taking a little more pride in our defending,” Hart said. “If we’re going to win more games, if we’re going to compete for conference championships, we can’t leak so many goals.”

According to last year’s Rating Percentage Index, Alabama faces the 15th-most difficult schedule in the country this season. Hart has tried to balance bolstering the team’s win-loss record and gaining experience against quality teams that will pay off in the postseason.

“This year we have new people and we’re closer than ever,” Morgan said. “[If the team] continue to buy in to what our coaches want us to, the sky’s the limit with this team.”

Alabama opened the regular season with a 0-1 loss to TCU on Friday and a 1-1 tie at North Texas. The Crimson Tide takes on Florida Gulf Coast on Friday, August 24 for its first home game of the season.