Alabama Soccer's Season Ends Against Tar Heels in Lubbock
The Alabama soccer team got its rematch with women's soccer juggernaut North Carolina in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Optimism was high after a draw ensued from the regular season meeting between the two sides on Sept. 10. On neutral grass in Lubbock, Texas, the second act of crimson vs. powder blue ended in a 1-0 victory for the No. 13 Tar Heels, who advanced to the tournament's sweet 16 round at the expense of the No. 24 Crimson Tide's 2023 season.
Alabama, seeded sixth in its portion of the bracket, looked to this matchup as another opportunity to make a statement in a bid for a repeat appearance in the College Cup. These squads both made it to Cary, N.C., last season, without their paths crossing until the September draw in Tuscaloosa. The selection committee created an avenue for that match to be run back Friday, contingent on both teams' first-round victories last weekend.
The first half was controlled by North Carolina, which held the ball in Alabama's territory for extended stretches in the first 45 minutes. The ball movement paired with the consistent possession kept the Crimson Tide defense on its toes. In the 19th minute, Ally Sentnor put the ball out of reach of freshman goalkeeper Coralie Lallier. Lallier has seen the Tar Heels before, as it was her turn in the goalkeeping rotation when Anson Dorrance brought his team to Tuscaloosa. Sentnor's goal was all she allowed to pass her on Friday. She logged eight saves and was all over the place, showing no fear as Carolina's vaunted attack tried time and again to stretch the lead.
"I thought they had the run of the play in the first half," Alabama head coach Wes Hart said. "I thought our response in the second half was excellent. We were able to gain much more territory and pin them in."
The inability to get anything going in the first half could well have been what doomed the Crimson Tide (12-5-5). It was the same story in September, as the lone goal Alabama notched in that meeting came with inside 15 minutes to go in the second half. On Friday, that equalizer never came, even in spite of Gianna Paul's return from injury. She scored the goal in the teams' first matchup. Paul did not start the rematch but was called upon in the first frame.
An increase in aggression followed Alabama out of the break, with the best look of the match rolling left off the boot of defender Marianna Annest in the 49th minute. As the half wore along, Carolina's fresher substitutions began to make an impact on the match. The Crimson Tide back line and keeper didn't shy away from the Tar Heels, even as the minutes ticked away and the odds of an upset grew longer. Alabama still played physical. If North Carolina was going to ice the match with potential second and third goals, it wasn't going to be because the Crimson Tide let one by easy.
Indeed, the players in powder blue weren't able to get another ball past Lallier. Many Alabama players were fighting for their careers. Lallier and Paul aren't among them, but multiple program mainstays (including center back Sasha Pickard, for whom Friday's match marked the 100th career appearance) were. An 11-shot deficit, along with zero Crimson Tide shots on goal, was too much to overcome. When the clock showed all zeroes, the ball was deep in the Alabama half. North Carolina (12-1-8) had done enough to hold Alabama off the scoreboard and move on.
Hart reflected on what his team accomplished in the wake of its season's end. "We had big shoes to fill based on our success last season," he said. "Despite losing a core group of players from last year, we were able to put together a pretty impressive year." Now a tournament mainstay, with appearances in each of the last three seasons and at least one win per event, the Crimson Tide played well on Friday. As many a good team has in the past, it fell just short to mighty Anson Dorrance and North Carolina.
