Alabama women’s soccer falls to Samford, Memphis

Austin Hannon, Staff Reporter

The Alabama women’s soccer team dropped a two-game set this weekend. 

Thursday, Sept. 2

The team fell to the Samford Bulldogs in a 1-0 home loss on Thursday, Sept. 2.

The Crimson Tide dominated in every aspect except for the final score. Alabama had 18 shots, including seven on net, but could not convert any into goals. Samford manufactured three shots on target. 

Alabama held possession of the ball for the majority of the match.

The Bulldogs kept the Crimson Tide on its toes with a high-pressure defense throughout the game, which resulted in more turnovers and tough passes for Alabama, propelling the Crimson Tide to get shut out.

Samford’s Alyssa Frazier scored the lone goal of the game off a cross in the 55th minute.

Bulldogs goalkeeper Morgan McAslan showcased a strong performance in goal, saving seven shots, including a couple of point-blank attempts.

Sunday, Sept. 5

On Sunday night, Alabama visited the Memphis Tigers and lost 3-1.

The match began with both teams moving the ball down the field, but neither team finished any scoring chances.

Memphis, an American Conference powerhouse, jumped to a 1-0 lead in the 39th minute off a goal by Tanya Boychuk.

On the following possession, the Crimson Tide came down the field and netted a goal of its own off the leg of Leah Kunde to even the score. That goal sent Alabama into the locker room with confidence that the team could compete with the Tigers.

The second half was a different story.

Memphis played to their potential, dominating possession and firing off shots at Alabama goalkeeper McKinley Crone. Boychuk scored again for her fourth goal of the season in the 66th minute, and Mya Jones added one more to ice the game in the 74th minute.

As in Thursday’s game, Alabama had opportunities but couldn’t get the ball past the goal line.

After Sunday’s matchup, head coach Wes Hart said he has a hopeful mindset moving forward. 

“We played hard and created enough chances in both games to get results, but didn’t do enough with them,” Hart said. “We’ll let these results sting for a bit, and then we’ve got to get back to work. We’ve got the sixth-ranked team in the country coming to town on Thursday, and then conference play is just around the corner.”

The sixth-ranked TCU Horned Frogs will be in Tuscaloosa on Thursday, Sept. 9 at 6 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.