Alabama Soccer Falls to Missouri, 3-1, in Round One of the SEC Tournament

Sunday, October 29

Orange Beach, Ala.

1 p.m. CT

Alabama

12-7-1, 4-5-1SEC

Missouri

8-11-1, 3-7-0SEC

Missouri

Alabama

Alabama Soccer Falls to Missouri, 3-1, in Round One of the SEC Tournament

10/29/2017 4:33:00 PM | Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Senior Celia Jimenez Delgado netted her third goal of the season in the 73rd minute

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. – Despite a second half rally, Alabama could not climb out of a two-score deficit and ended competition at the 2017 SEC Tournament in Orange Beach, Ala., on Sunday, falling to the Missouri Tigers, 3-1.

"Certainty disappointed with the result today, but you have to give Missouri a lot of credit," coach Wes Hart said. "They jumped on us early and we weren't able to answer. I applaud our group's effort for finishing the game strong and creating some chances at the end, but at the end of the day, it was too little, too late."

"I don't want this to take away from our season and what we have been able to accomplish," Hart continued. "The run we had at the end of SEC play to get us into the tournament and finish the regular season in seventh was great for us. We have won 12 games and put ourselves in a position to get an NCAA berth for the third time in program history. I don't want today to define us. We will bounce back and will be better."

Missouri (8-11-1, 3-7 SEC) charged out of the gates hot, scoring in the opening minute of the match to snatch the early one-goal advantage.

In the 18th minute, Alabama (12-7-1, 4-6-1 SEC) earned its first great look at goal, drawing a foul five yards outside the box to set up a free kick, but senior Chatham DeProspo's shot on goal was deflected just inches away from the goal line.

Then in the 27^th minute, Mizzou pulled senior goalkeeper Kat Stratton off the goal line and knocked the ball into the net to go up by two scores.

Alabama tried to shrink the deficit with another shot on goal by redshirt freshman Chloe Maize, but the ball was saved by the Tiger keeper to end the first half.

Down by two, the Crimson Tide was eager to rally back into the game putting up one shot three minutes into the half, but Mizzou connected on another shot on frame, to extend its lead by three in the 57^th minute.

In the 70^th minute, Alabama received an offensive spark from senior Celia Jimenez Delgado who tallied a goal off the assist from sophomore Nealy Martin to cut Missouri's lead to 3-1.

Jimenez Delgado threated to score again minutes later with a header off a cross by senior Hailey Brohaugh, but Mizzou's keeper caught the ball in the air to prevent Jimenez Delgado from tallying another.

The Crimson Tide continued to fight and challenge Missouri's defense, but time ran out, and Mizzou earned its spot in the quarterfinal round of the tournament.

Missouri held the advantage in shots, 16-11, and shots on goal, 8-5, while the Crimson Tide earned three more corner kicks than the Tigers (9-6). Jimenez Delgado led Alabama's offense netting one goal on a pair of shots on target, while senior goalkeeper Kat Stratton made five saves in 90 minutes in the net.

Up next, Missouri will advance to play the No. 2 seed Texas A&M on Tuesday while the Tide will await a berth to the NCAA Tournament on Monday, Nov. 6.

Get all the latest information on the team by following @AlabamaSoccer on Twitter and Facebook and AlabamaSoccer on Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.