Alabama Soccer Comes Up Short in SEC Title Game

The Crimson Tide fell to the South Carolina Gamecocks 1-0

Alabama soccer literally fought to the very end, but the Crimson Tide's perfect conference run came to an end Sunday afternoon with a 1-0 loss to South Carolina in the SEC Tournament championship game in Pensacola, Fla.

It was fairly even from start to finish; Alabama did have more shots than South Carolina (13-8) including ones on target (6-3). But the Gamecocks had more corner kicks than the Tide (5-2 in Carolina's favor), not to mention a couple of fouls that gave South Carolina free kicks a step away from the corner.

The deciding factor came in the 57th minute, when a South Carolina throw-in and a header from Cat Berry put the ball at Brianna Behm's feet, where she was able to turn it around and poke the ball past McKinley Crone for the lone score of the game.

Alabama continued to attack, including multiple shots in close that were saved by Heather Hinz, including a header off a cross that had to be reviewed in case it crossed the goal line.

“Got to give credit to South Carolina. They were well organized and incredibly difficult to break down today,” Crimson Tide coach Wes Hart said. “This one is going to sting, but in time we will be able to look back and see just how incredible this run was. 

“We hadn't lost a game since the first weekend of the season. Won 12-consecutive SEC regular season and tournament games. I’m so proud of this team and everything they've done this season. Fortunately for us, it's not done yet. We get to bounce back on Friday in the NCAA Tournament. We are so incredibly grateful for all the support shown to us this season by our fans and we’re hoping to get a great crowd out there on Friday night.”

Though South Carolina will enter the NCAA Tournament as SEC champions, Alabama's overall season success still gives it an at-large big, and probably one that gives them home-field advantage in the opening rounds. 

But the loss might have cost the SEC regular-season champions a top seeding.

The Crimson Tide will find out, and its first opponent in the NCAA Tournament when the brackets are announced during the selection show, which takes place Monday at 1 p.m. CT.

Final - Alabama 0, South Carolina 1

Second Half

• Multiple shots blocked from Alabama

• Foul on Gessica Skorka

• Foul on Reyna Reyes. 

• Foul on Riley Tanner. Free kick right next to the corner for South Carolina

• Corner kick for Alabama

• Marianna Annest comes in for Macy Clem

• Corner kick for South Carolina

• McKinley Crone saves the shot

• Gianna Paul gets a yellow card

• Call is a free kick for South Carolina

• A penalty on Gianna Paul. Play being reviewed whether it was inside the box

• Riley Mattingly Parker comes in 

• Alabama earns a corner kick

• Foul on Felicia Knox. Free kick for South Carolina

• Gianna Paul draws a foul, free kick for Alabama

• Ashlynn Serepca comes in for Gessica Skorka

• Macy Clem comes in for Japic

• Clocks stopped for an injury to Sydney Japic

• Handball on Allie Berk gives the ball back to South Carolina

• Felicia Knox comes in for Aislin Streicek

• Hydration break for both teams

• Alabama earns its first corner kick of the game

• Allie Berk comes in for Riley Mattingly Parker

• Kat Rogers comes in for Ashlynn Serepca

• Serepca draws a foul against Micah Bryant

• Brooke Steere comes in for Macy Clem

• Reyna Reyes draws a foul on South Carolina

• A foul on Ashlynn Serepca gives a free kick to South Carolina

• Macy Clem gets a yellow card for an unsportsmanlike tackle

• Gianna Paul comes in for Kat Rogers

• Aislin Streicek comes in for Felicia Knox

• GOAL: South Carolina's Brianna Behm scores after receiving a header from Cat Barry. Alabama 0, South Carolina 1

• Serepca's shot hits Hinz in the hands for the save

• Knox's shot is off target. Goal kick for South Carolina

• Hallie Meadows comes in for Falla, who had to be carried off the field

• Clock has stopped for an injury to South Carolina's Gracie Falla

• Ashlynn Serepca's shot outside the box saved by Hinz

HALFTIME

First Half - Alabama 0, South Carolina 0

• Sydney Vincens comes in for Riley Mattingly Parker

• Aislin Streicek comes in for Ashlynn Serepca

• Parker's shot saved by Heather Hinz

• South Carolina's Gracie Falla gets a yellow card. Free kick for Alabama

• Allie Berk comes in for Kat Rogers

• Marianna Annest comes in for Riley Tanner

• Knox's shot goes wide. Goal kick for South Carolina

• A foul against South Carolina gives Alabama a free kick a the top of the box

• Sydney Japic comes in for Brooke Steere

• South Carolina earns its second corner kick of the game

• Gianna Paul comes in for Macy Clem

• South Carolina's Taylor Jacobson earned a yellow card

• A handball against South Carolina leads to a free kick for Alabama

• Drink break for both teams

• Offside against South Carolina

• Foul on Ashlynn Serepca after South Carolina clears the ball

• Sasha Pickard saves a goal for Alabama. Corner kick South Carolina

• Handball against Alabama. 

• Another foul on Ashlynn Serepca. Free kick for South Carolina

• Riley Mattingly Parker's shot just wide of the right goal post. Goal kick South Carolina

• Ashlynn Serepca draws a foul against the Gamecocks

• A foul on Gessica Skorka for tugging on the jersey of South Carolina

• Tanner's shot is wide of the goalpost. Goal kick for South Carolina

• A foul against Riley Tanner gives a free kick to South Carolina

Pregame

Starting XI pic.twitter.com/lRUTJVycUE

— Alabama Soccer (@AlabamaSoccer) November 6, 2022

Referee: Samantha Martinez

AR1: Katarzyna Wasiak

AR2: John Villalobos

Alternate Official: Jesus Hernandez-Balbas