Alabama
5-3-1, 0-1
Ole Miss
7-2, 1-0
Alabama Soccer Unable to Complete Comeback Against Ole Miss, 1-0
9/13/2018 10:25:00 PM | Soccer
The Tide’s five-game win streak snapped with loss in the Southeastern Conference opener
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama soccer team closed its seven-game homestand with a 1-0 loss to Ole Miss in the 2018 Southeastern Conference opener for both teams on Thursday night at the Alabama Soccer Complex. The game-winning goal for Ole Miss came as the finals seconds of the first half. With the defeat, the Tide falls to 5-3-1 (0-1 SEC) overall, while the Rebels improve to 7-2 (1-0 SEC) on the year.
"I thought the first half we played too conservatively," head coach Wes Hart explained. "We knew this was a good team; in fact, every team we play in conference is going to be a good opponent. We came out too safe and it looked like we were holding numbers back. The second half we went for it and committed numbers forward and created all the chances we needed to. The biggest adjustment we made was our mentality. We talked about not playing safe. We did everything we asked for in the second half, but ultimately the chances just didn't fall for us."
Alabama and Ole Miss played an exciting opening half, but neither team could put up many shots as the clock counted down towards halftime. However, with less than 10 seconds on the clock in the first half, the Rebels took advantage of a corner kick in the 44th minute when sophomore Molly Martin converted a header off a double assist from redshirt freshman Madison Smith and sophomore Grace Johnson for the only goal of the game.
The Tide kept working to get on the scoreboard over the final 45 minutes, doubling its shot attempts from the first period, but came up empty each time. The defense, meanwhile, held the Rebels off the rest of the night thanks to sophomore Alex Plavin's four saves.
The aggressiveness nearly paid off for Alabama when sophomore Taylor Morgan found herself with an opportunity. Morgan rocketed a launching shot from nearly 30-yards out, however, it was stopped after an incredible save by redshirt-senior goalkeeper Marnie Merritt.
After 90 minutes of action, the Tide outshot the Rebels due to a strong second showing, 17-9 (4-4 in first half, 13-5 in second half), but the Ole Miss had five shots on goal while Alabama recorded three. The Tide, however, attempted more corner kicks, 5-3.
Alabama wraps up its non-conference play by hitting the road for the first time in four weeks at DePaul on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT. The game can be followed through live stats on RollTide.com.
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.
Team Stats
Molly Martin (1)
Assisted By: Madison Smith , Grace Johnson
Off corner kick
44:51
