Alabama soccer draws against Georgia

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Johnathan Anderson, Staff Writer

The Alabama Crimson Tide fought to a 1-1 draw against Georgia in double overtime Sunday afternoon at the Turner Soccer Complex in Athens, Georgia. The draw sees Alabama improve to 8-7-3 on the year, 2-5-2 in SEC play, while the Georgia moves to 4-8-5 and 1-5-3 in SEC.

“Disappointed that we weren’t able to come away with 3 points, especially after taking the lead early in the second half,” Alabama coach Wes Hart said in a press release. “But I have to give Georgia credit. They played hard. They did not make it easy on us. Our focus now shifts to Auburn. It’s a huge rivalry game that our players are very much looking forward to. Our SEC Tournament hopes are still very much alive.”

Both teams created dangerous chances throughout the first half, with sophomore midfielder Kaley Verpaele’s soaring effort Alabama’s nearest chance.

Three minutes into the second half saw the Crimson Tide take the lead when Brynn Martin’s chipped ball found the head of Verpaele who nodded home for the first goal of the match.

The Bulldogs found its equalizer nine minutes later from Abby Boyan’s outside-of-the-box blast.

As the Crimson Tide pushed for a winning goal, a Christina Maartensson free kick and Casey Wertz rocket highlighted a long stretch of Alabama dominance offensively.

The two overtime periods were back and forth throughout with neither team able to find a solid footing in the two periods. Alabama finished the match outshot by the Bulldogs 17-15, but placed seven of its shots on target compared to Georgia’s four.

Sophomore Alex Plavin followed her massive performance against No. 5 Texas A&M with three big saves for the Crimson Tide.

The Crimson Tide will retake the field when it travels to the plains to take on Auburn for its final regular season game on Thursday, Oct. 25.