The Alabama women’s soccer team finished its season with a loss to Miami (FL) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Coral Gables, Fla., on Saturday.

The program’s second ever tournament appearance may have ended in double overtime against the Hurricanes, but head coach Todd Bramble said the best of Crimson Tide soccer is yet to come.

“I think we’ve earned the respect of many the teams we faced in the tournament,” Bramble said. “I think we sent the message this season that we’re not a fluke.”

Following what some players call a disappointing 2010 season, the Tide rebounded this year to finish 10-9-3 overall.

“We surprised a lot of people,” said Theresa Diederich, a redshirt freshman. “But not ourselves.”

Diederich, the Tide’s leading scorer, said the Tide’s expectations rose after earning a first round berth to the NCAA tournament.

“We played hard all season against great SEC competition and we made it to where we wanted to be,” she said. “But now that we are out, our focus is to get back in and further next year.”

Diederich’s teammates echoed the set of expectations set forth for next season.

“Setting goals,” sophomore Molly Atherton said. “That is how we take the next step.”

As far as goals go, Atherton said they are higher than ever.

“We’re going to expect ourselves to make the tournament every year now,” she said.

Bramble said the Tide’s stellar season would not have been possible without the surge of young talent on the team, including freshmen forwards Laura Lee Smith and Pia Rijsdijk.

“Our younger players really helped out in the growth of this team,” Bramble said. “But the team as a whole played great defense that really kept us in games.”

Bramble said reaching the NCAA tournament brings a multitude of benefits, such as extra weeks of training, experience and recruiting exposure.

“Everything we gained out of reaching the NCAA tournament is great,” Bramble said. “But the best part about it is that it validated the hard work of our players.”

With the expectations set high for next season, the Crimson Tide look to reach the next step in a program that is rapidly gaining respect.