Alabama Soccer Has Opportunity for Ultimate Response

A loss may have put a perfect SEC season to an end, but it also starts the next chapter for the Crimson Tide.

Mason Smith | Nov 6, 2022

During the season, Alabama soccer head coach Wes Hart shared multiple times how he's enjoyed watching his team find ways to win, and how the team has always found a way to respond to adversity.

The team responded when Vanderbilt scored the first goal in the SEC Tournament semifinal. Before that, the Crimson Tide needed the entire regulation period before a last-minute goal gave Alabama the Iron Bowl victory to end the regular season. And before that, Arkansas jumped out to an early lead before Alabama scored two of its own to win 2-1 in Tuscaloosa.

It was shaping up to be the same story when neither Alabama nor South Carolina could get on the board in the first half of the SEC Tournament championship game. It really looked like the same story when Brianna Behm squeezed one by McKinley Crone during the 57th minute of the game to give the Gamecocks a 1-0 lead.

All the signs pointed to Alabama figuring out how to do it one more time, that the Tide would somehow respond like it has done all season to remain perfect in SEC regular season and tournament play, a feat that hasn't been done since the 2000 Florida Gators, and win its first tournament title in program history.

Alabama did all it could down the stretch; good connecting passes, crosses into the box, shots on target. It literally came down to the final seconds, but once the clock hit zero, the comeback, along with the perfect season, came to an end.

The loss doesn't take away from all the success leading up to the title game: Alabama still won its first regular season title, broke multiple records, and still has a favorable position heading into the NCAA Tournament. As coach Wes Hart said, there's still a lot to be proud of.

"I do not wanna take away from what we've been able to do this season," Hart told BamaCentral in a postgame interview. "We had an incredible, incredible season, going 12-1 in SEC regular season and tournament play, winning the Iron Bowl, the SEC West, the regular season title. We've accomplished so much this season, I certainly don't want this loss to take away from what we've been able to do."

Hart also mentioned how the team will likely be either a 1-seed or a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament, and while no one wants to lose, a loss now can, in some ways, take the pressure off a team and allow it to step back and self-evaluate before the next challenge.

A response to an early goal or stifling defense is one thing, but a successful run in the big dance? That could be the ultimate response. Hart is looking forward to that, but before tournament selections take place Monday afternoon, he has some other things to prioitize.

"First and foremost, we need to get back to Tuscaloosa, get our legs back under us. We'll find out who we play tomorrow, but I'm looking forward to the chance for us to redeem ourselves on Friday."

Alabama will learn of its first-round opponent Monday during the NCAA Soccer Selection Show at 1 p.m. CT. The NCAA Tournament starts on Friday.

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