What Can Alabama Soccer Do for An Encore to Program-Best Season?
TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— One of the best stories to come out of Alabama athletics during the 2022-23 academic year was the Crimson Tide women's soccer team. In an unprecedented run of sustained success, it set a program record for wins, took home the regular-season Southeastern Conference championship, and reached the College Cup for the first time. The team went undefeated at home and swept its regular-season SEC slate. Four players from that squad have since moved on to the National Women's Soccer League, including three draft picks.
However, time waits for no one, and so the official dawn of a new season looms. The 2023 campaign's approach is different from any preceding summer, with bolstered expectations and a strong outlook for the squad's immediate future. Ranked No. 7 in the preseason coaches poll, Alabama got a taste of game action on Tuesday, drawing Tennessee 2-2 in an exhibition. Some of the Crimson Tide's keys to success were on display during the match, with much to learn from and grow on.
Alabama fans were so thrilled with the way the 2022 team broke records, they yelled "Encore," as if they were at a once-in-a-lifetime performance that they didn't want to see end. After the 2021 team helped set a new standard by capturing the program's first NCAA Tournament win, last season's team won four, capping the 23-win mark that's the new program record. It scored the most goals of any team in the nation and shut out opponents 12 times, extending the Crimson Tide's home unbeaten streak to 20 matches. Individual player accolades numbered more than a few. The program's run garnered national attention.
But after squaring off against three traditional women's soccer powerhouses in the 2022 College Cup, Alabama can no longer be considered an upstart, or have the element of surprise.
"We go into [the season] controlling what we control," head coach Wes Hart said following his team's clash with the Lady Volunteers. "We want to control our effort, we want to get ball, we want to get territory, we want to get chances, and that's [what] we focus on.
"We dominate in those areas, we give ourselves a chance to win. We win a few games, and then we can start talking about where we're gonna go from here. It's [too] early to know who we are right now."
The aforementioned areas were main points of emphasis in the Crimson Tide's dominant showing in the fall of 2022. Alabama became known for its press-and-hunt style, commanding matches' pace as well as territory and possession. From there, chances opened up, and a stable of prolific scorers along with an ironclad defense completed what was a perfect formula for success. Experience was a major component in that success, and don't expect chemistry to taper off just because it's a new season.
"Our team is built on [chemistry]," junior defender Brooke Steere said. "Our chemistry, our family aspect, everything about that. I don't think that's ever gonna drop, even [with] anybody coming in and coming out of the program, we're gonna keep that culture the same."
There were things in the matchup with the Lady Vols that the Crimson Tide did well, including controlling the pace and offensive possession in the opening half. Eventually, as the college soccer world has now seen many times, the openings appeared, and Alabama capitalized. While the second half wasn't as dominant, by maintaining that patented style of play, the team already knows it can continue to have success over long periods of time.
Hart said his squad was dinged up heading into its inaugural showing, but it appears nothing is expected to keep players out long-term. The returns of players who missed the exhibition, including returning midfielder Macy Clem and transfer midfielder Isabel Smith, are imminent, possibly as soon as the start of the regular season.
Every college program deals with personnel changes from a roster standpoint, and Alabama is no exception. The 2023 team must replace the school record holder for single-season goals (Riley Mattingly Parker, drafted to the NWSL's Racing Louisville FC), the 2022 SEC Defender of the Year (Reyna Reyes, drafted to the NWSL's Portland Thorns) and the UA record holder in wins and single-season shutouts (McKinley Crone, signed to the NWSL's Orlando Pride). Also gone are Riley Tanner (2022 Second Team All-SEC, drafted to the NWSL's Washington Spirit) and former team captain Kat Rogers (third all-time at UA in career assists).
There is, however, significant encouragement in the roster returnees. Tanna Sanchez-Carreto is back to help anchor the back line in the absence of former teammate Reyes. She missed all of last season due to an injury. Midfielder Leah Kunde, who played a major role in helping the offense create chances in the Tennessee preseason match, was also sidelined for the duration of the 2022 season. Fellow midfielder Kate Henderson, who had quietly racked up four goals in 11 starts last fall prior to a season-ending injury of her own, also returned to the pitch.
One of the most pivotal players making her return to the Crimson Tide is senior Felicia Knox, the nationwide assists leader in 2022 who also took home SEC Midfielder of the Year honors. Knox, an All-American, already boasts the Alabama records in career assists and single season assists (cumulative and per game). Additionally, she found the back of the net seven times.
Sophomore forward Gianna Paul was the 2022 SEC Freshman of the Year. She scored eight goals and never seemed to let the moment get too big for her, even as her team stared down some of the mightiest names in the sport. Paul has scored on BYU, Duke and Clemson, to name a few. Her speed allows her to make plays with the very best at her position, and it is vital for Paul to take the next step with experience under her belt.
The back line was a crucial component in complementing the relentless offensive attack in 2022. That position group has undergone a change of scenery, with Reyes' departure giving way to Sanchez-Carreto's anticipated comeback. Steere, who shined after converting from the forward position, was excellent defensively against Tennessee. To the likely chagrin of other clubs' players, who now have to spend another season battling one of the most physical players in the country, center back Sasha Pickard took her fifth year. Gessica Skorka, now a senior, can play defense and score, notching one of her team's two goals in a crucial 2-1 win over Arkansas on Oct. 16, 2022. Bella Scaturro Bright, who got married in the offseason, did not play against Tennessee (or at all in 2022), but should factor in on the defensive side as well.
The midfield benefits greatly from the return of Knox but is a solid group outside of just her. Clem scored five goals and logged the winner against Southern Miss in 2022. Freshmen Nadia Ramadan and Cameron Silva gave strong accounts of themselves against the Lady Vols, and Silva recorded her first collegiate goal. The fact that this pair of new faces performed that well against an SEC team in the Crimson Tide's first 11-on-11 matchup was encouraging. The versatility of other players can be used in the midfield and on defense, including Sydney Japic and Marianna Annest. Annest is in her second season at Alabama after previously playing at Northwestern. Henderson's injury comeback adds to the midfield's experience level while also bringing a new dimension to the scoring attack.
Considering not only her records but also her leadership and experience, Crone's shoes may be biggest to fill this season, especially given her goaltending position. Dylan Pixton, a graduate student who saw some game action in 2022, split time in goal with freshman Coralie Lallier in the exhibition. Lallier picked up the most saves (three) of any of the four keepers who played in the match, but also allowed two goals. Ellie Lanyi and Hannah Alexander also return.
The roster has been boosted with the addition of transfers before. Crone herself was one, as was Annest. Two more have joined the Alabama ranks for the 2023 campaign. Birmingham's own Smith comes to the midfield corps by way of Indiana, where she played in 15 matches as a freshman in 2022. Michigan native Itala Gemelli led all of women's college soccer last fall with seven game-winning goals, and posted 12 in total en route to being named to the A-10 All-Conference First Team at Dayton. The senior forward was a welcome addition to an offense that lost two scorers of 10-or-more goals in the offseason: Mattingly Parker and Ashlynn Serepca. Gemelli has the potential to make up half of one of the best 1-2 punches at forward in the conference, alongside Paul.
Thus lies the challenge, and the real aim, as there's rarely an even bigger compliment to an outstanding production than a crowd cheering "Encore," with calls of "Again."
The 2023 Crimson Tide team has the ability to carry its immediate predecessor's success over to its own schedule. The foundations are already in place. The roster is one with significant talent, and has the ability to do many of the same things that maximize the potential for big wins and contends for some of the sport's biggest prizes.
The feeling at the close of the remarkable 2022 season was that the sky is the limit for this program going forward. The 2023 team is more than capable of bringing even more storybook moments, records and victories to the Capstone.
