Alabama Soccer Finally Set for Much-Anticipated Return to Action
TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— For all the talk of last fall’s success, the 2023 Alabama soccer team is ready to embrace the clean slate that comes with a new season.
It’s not just any new season, though. In 2022, the Crimson Tide entered the fall campaign without a number next to its name. That was before the early string of successes that blossomed into 23 wins. That was before the regular season SEC title and ensuing postseason run. All of that success has afforded Alabama with a ranking for the start of this season— seven, a top-10 ranking before a match has been played on the official schedule.
“We’re going into the season the same way we approached last season,” head coach Wes Hart said. “We’re gonna take it game by game. We’re not gonna focus on what our ranking is, who our opponent is. We’re just gonna be concerned about us and doing what we do. For us, the expectations from the outside don’t really affect us.”
The offseason has finally given way to any athlete’s favorite part of the schedule, the official start of the campaign. First on the docket is a dance with DePaul at the Alabama Soccer Stadium. The Blue Demons finished 3-12-1 in 2022, but that’s now in the past, and last season’s Alabama team is a great indicator that teams can make significant year-to-year improvement and put themselves on the map. DePaul is also first to the plate to challenge the Crimson Tide’s 20-match home unbeaten streak, which dates back to the 2021 season.
“I think we should be excited about the season ahead of us,” senior midfielder Felicia Knox, the sport’s reigning single-season assists leader, said. “We like to kind of look back, but also like to move forward. Last year, we didn’t really picture everything to go the way it did, so I think having that same mindset of just going out and taking every game on as it comes, I think that’s gonna be the biggest part, as well as the maturity and growing each game. I think every practice and every game that we’ve played so far, we’ve grown as a team and grown team chemistry.”
The Crimson Tide certainly hopes for less interruption to its season opener this time around. Last season, play had barely gotten underway against Florida Atlantic when a rain delay put an overnight pause to the festivities. As it turned out, that delay only temporarily staved off what would become one of the most feared teams in college soccer. Fast forward 363 days, and there’s new energy surrounding the opener and the program.
“[I’m excited to] see this team come together,” Hart said. “We have an identity that we’ve created, but with each new team, there’s little wrinkles that each team brings. I’m excited to see what this team can do. We’ve got a great group of players that are fun to be around and enjoyable to coach, and I’m just excited to see where it takes us.”
The long wait for the regular season officially ends with kickoff against the Blue Demons on Aug. 17 at 7 p.m. CT.
See Also:
Alabama Soccer Well Represented on SEC Preseason Watchlist
What Nick Saban Said After Alabama Football's Tuesday Practice
