Despite a heroic performance from Alex Plavin in goal, Alabama fell 1-0 to Arkansas at the Alabama Soccer Complex on Sunday night.

The first half was largely underwhelming for a Crimson Tide team that normally commands possession of the ball and controls the pace of the game with a dominant midfield. Arkansas lured the Crimson Tide into a game of long ball in which both teams bypassed the midfield entirely, launching searching balls from the backline. Arkansas found success through this method early on, leaving Alabama searching for answers.

The biggest moment of the first half came in the 31^st minute, when Kailyn Madden’s sliding challenge in the box was deemed a foul, resulting in a penalty kick for Arkansas. Plavin, a sophomore shot-stopper from Atlanta, Georgia, rose to the occasion, diving to her left with two strong hands to keep the Razorbacks off the board.

“Alex did everything that we ask of a goalkeeper,” Head Coach Wes Hart said. “We need her to make saves to keep us in a game long enough to win and she certainly did that. Alex kept us in this as long as she possibly could.”

The rest of the first half and a large majority of the second saw both teams grinding out possession, searching for any foothold in the match that would give their side an advantage. Arkansas found its breakthrough in the 79^th minute when Kayla McKeon rose high to connect with a Taylor Malham cross, nodding the ball home and gifting the Razorbacks the lone goal of the night.

The Razorbacks dominated the Crimson Tide in terms of chance creation, outshooting Alabama 17-7 over the course of the match. Arkansas outnumbered Alabama 7-1 in corner count while also putting two more shots on target than the Crimson Tide.

“We aren’t good enough to just think our soccer is going to win out,” Hart said. “Without the willingness to compete, fight, scrap, kick, and tackle, without those things, the soccer doesn’t matter. Arkansas showed us what it means to want to win.”

The loss sees Alabama fall to 6-5-1 on the season and 0-3 in conference play. Arkansas improves to 7-2-2 on the year, 2-1 in conference play. Alabama will retake the field on Thursday when it travels to Baton Rouge to play LSU on Sept. 27.