| NEWS ⚽ Alabama Soccer - 2024 ⚽: Alabama falls to Kentucky 2-0

UA Press Release

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama soccer team will kick off another exciting season Thursday when the team heads to Fort Worth, Texas, to face TCU in its season opener. The match against the Horned Frogs is one of two road matches to start the year as the Tide travels to Denton, Texas, Saturday to face North Texas. Both games are set for a 7 p.m. CT kickoff.

At TCU​

  • Date: Thursday, Aug. 15
  • Time: 7 p.m.
  • Location: Fort Worth, Texas
  • Venue: Garvey-Rosenthal Stadium
  • Watch
  • Live Stats
  • Tickets

At North Texas​

  • Date: Saturday, Aug. 17
  • Time: 7 p.m.
  • Location: Denton, Texas
  • Venue: Soccer and Track & Field Stadium
  • Watch
  • Live Stats
  • Tickets

Game Notes​

  • The Tide opens the 2024 season ranked No. 20 in the United Soccer Coaches poll
  • Alabama has maintained a top-25 national ranking in 24 consecutive polls since first appearing in the organization's third poll of the 2022 season (Sept. 6)
  • The team returns 19 student-athletes off last year's Second Round NCAA Tournament team
  • Leah Kunde, Gianna Paul, Nadia Ramadan, Melina Rebimbas and Gessica Skorka were named to the Southeastern Conference Preseason Watch List, while Paul also garnered United Soccer Coaches Players to Watch recognition as a forward
  • Paul and Skorka paced the offense and defense, respectively, last season earning 2023 All-SEC recognition, while Ramadan was named to the SEC All-Freshman team
  • Paul was also named a United Soccer Coaches' All-Region honoree last season after pacing the Tide in goals (8) and points (17)
  • The team welcomes nine new faces to The Capstone, including three transfers
  • All three of UA's incoming transfers have competed in NCAA Tournament competition
  • Zivana Labovic (Michigan State) and Melina Rebimbas (North Carolina) helped lead their teams to the third round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament
  • Nedya Sawan was a member of Portland's historic 2022 season as the team returned to the Big Dance for the first time since 2013
  • Wes Hart will open his 10th season at the helm of the Crimson Tide when the team kicks off against TCU on Aug. 15
  • He enters the season three games shy of 100 wins with the Alabama soccer team
 

Coralie Lallier tallied a game-leading five saves in the match

FORT WORTH, Texas
– No. 20 Alabama soccer (0-1-0) dropped its season opener Thursday to TCU (1-0-0), falling 3-0 in the match against the Horned Frogs.

TCU found a pair of first half goals from Caroline Kelly (28th minute) and Oli Pena (34th minute). Seven Castain would add the Horned Frogs' third and final goal in the 51st minute of action.

Game Notes​

  • TCU secured its first goal after a through ball from Sara Brocious put Kelly near the right post, allowing her to find the back of the net
  • The Frogs' second goal came off a give-and-go at the top of the box as Brocious played Pena through the backline and into the box
  • Alabama and TCU tied 9-9 in first half shots with Madeline Padelski and Gianna Paul forcing TCU's Megan Plaschko to come up with saves
  • Coralie Lallier had four saves in the opening half, including three within a five-minute span
  • A turnover in Alabama territory set Pena up to play Castain in the box, who cut the ball back and shot from 15-yards out
  • Alabama would hold the Horned Frogs to just one shot on goal for the remainder of the game as Zivana Labovic and Nedya Sawan put shots on frame for the Tide
  • Lallier tallied a total of five saves in the game, while TCU's Plaschko had four

Next​

  • Alabama continues its road stretch, heading to Denton, Texas, to face North Texas
  • The match between the Crimson Tide and the Mean Green is scheduled for a 7 p.m. CT kick on Saturday
  • Fans can watch the match on ESPN+
 

After North Texas tied the game in the 80th minute, Gianna Paul fired a shot into the lower left corner of the goal to give the Crimson Tide the victory

DENTON, Texas
– With an exciting late-game rally, the No. 20 Alabama soccer team (1-1-0) posted a 2-1 road victory over North Texas (0-2-0) Saturday night.

Kiley Kukan netted her first collegiate goal in the 21st minute to give Alabama an early lead in the match. The Tide would hold that lead until the 80th minute when UNT's Summer Brown found the Mean Green's tying goal. Alabama delivered the response just a minute later with Gianna Paul driving a low, bouncing ball into the lower left corner of the net.

From Head Coach Wes Hart

"Not the prettiest game, but a great result! UNT was not an easy opponent to play on a day's rest in 100-degree temps. Proud of the grit and resiliency our team showed tonight. To give up a late goal and respond the way we did was awesome! We will take the win and get out of Texas. I'm excited to get back to Tuscaloosa and play at home Thursday night."

Game Notes​

  • Kukan notched her first collegiate goal after Leah Kunde's cross found Nedya Sawan in front of the goal
  • Sawan laid the ball off to Kukan, who rolled the ball to her left foot before firing it into the upper left corner of the goal
  • Alabama would continue to dominate the first half, leading 7-5 in shots and 4-0 in corner kicks
  • The start of the second half was evenly paced as both teams found chances at net
  • UA continued to hold its lead until the 80th minute when a foul 10 yards in UNT's territory set goalkeeper Maddie Ogden up to play a long ball into the box
  • Bailey Wesco was able to send the ball over to Brown to fire towards goal
  • Just over a minute later, Sawan took advantage of a turnover at the top of the Mean Green's box and found the feet of Paul who was running towards goal
  • Paul took a touch before sending her shot into the lower left corner of the net

Next​

  • Alabama will host North Alabama in its home opener on Aug. 22
  • The Thursday night match kicks off at 7 p.m. CT and will be streamed on SEC Network+
 

A pair of goals from Nadia Ramadan and a solo goal from Itala Gemelli lifted the Crimson Tide to its second win of the season

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.
– A pair of goals from Nadia Ramadan highlighted Alabama's 3-1 victory over North Alabama (1-2-0) Thursday night in the Crimson Tide's home opener. In addition to Ramadan, Itala Gemelli also found the back of the net to aid the Crimson Tide (2-1-0) in its second win of the season.

The Lions struck first as Molly Parham cut down the endline before passing the ball back to Hope Lensing for a goal at the eighth-minute mark. Gemelli would notch the tying goal eight minutes later off a rebounded shot from Nedya Sawan. Just two minutes later, Ramadan would challenge a mix-up between the Lions goalkeeper and a defender, sliding the ball into the right corner of the goal. The Tide held a 2-1 advantage for 49 minutes before a penalty inside the box by UNA's goalkeeper set Ramadan up for her second goal.
 

Alabama tallied a brace from Gianna Paul in addition to goals from Kate Henderson and Kiley Kukan to down the Mocs in the road match

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.
– With a commanding 4-0 score, the Alabama soccer team claimed the win over Chattanooga Sunday as Gianna Paul netted the game-winning goal just 25 seconds into the match.

The goal from Paul was her first of two on the day as she also scored in the 50th minute off a defensive turnover. Kate Henderson (42nd minute) and Kiley Kukan (89th minute) would add to the Crimson Tide's score and help secure head coach Wes Hart's 100th career win at the University of Alabama.

From Head Coach Wes Hart

"We've been trying to just get a little better each game, knowing that we want to be playing our best soccer later in the season. We have a lot of new players (eight freshmen, three transfers and a couple that did not play last season because of injuries). We know it's going to take some time to get the team to gel and we have to be patient.

"I'm very pleased with the weekend. I think we took some positive steps in the right direction. But what's even more exciting to me is that I still see a ton of room for growth with this group."

Game Notes​

  • The win marked the 100th victory for Head Coach Wes Hart with all 100 wins coming at Alabama
  • Gianna Paul put the Crimson Tide on the scoreboard in the opening minute of action after Madeline Padelski found Paul at the top of the box
  • The Tide continued to dominate the half, outpacing the Mocs 12-5 in shots
  • Before the two teams would head into the locker room, Kate Henderson tallied her first goal of the season
  • Kennedy Garcia crossed the ball from the right corner to Henderson in the box
  • Henderson cut towards goal, before bending the shot with her left foot into the corner
  • Paul would again capitalize on a restart as she secured her second goal of the game off a bad kick from UTC's goalkeeper
  • Before time expired, Lexi Meyer threaded a ball through the back line to Kiley Kukan to go one-on-one with the goalkeeper
  • Of the Tide's 17 shots, 10 were on goal forcing Caroline Ekern to make six saves
  • Coralie Lallier tallied her first shutout of the season, making two saves to secure the clean sheet
  • Paul's goal was the fastest by an Alabama athlete since Abbie Boswell netted a goal in the 25th second against Missouri in 2017
    • UA's fastest goal was by Brooke Rogers who found the back of the net just 11 second into her 2007 match against Robert Morris

Next​

  • Alabama returns home to host a pair of matches at the Alabama Soccer Stadium
  • The Tide will host Florida Atlantic in a 7 p.m. CT match on Thursday night before facing Southern Miss for a Sunday match at 6 p.m.
  • Fans can follow both games on SEC Network+
 

Six Crimson Tide players tallied goals in the match as the game was highlighted by a two-goal, five-point performance from Gianna Paul and Nadia Ramadan

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.
– With a flurry of second half goals, the Alabama soccer team (4-1) routed Florida Atlantic (0-3-2) in an 8-2 victory Thursday night at the Alabama Soccer Stadium.

Six Crimson Tide players netted goals as Gianna Paul (23rd minute, 58th minute) and Nadia Ramadan (46th minute, 53rd minute) both recorded a brace in addition to an assist for five points in the match. Kiley Kukan notched her third goal of the season in the 18th minute of action as Kate Henderson found her second in the 66th minute. Both Kennedy Garcia, 78th minute, and Madeline Padelski, 80th minute, would tally their first goal of the year before time expired.
 

The win was the fifth consecutive victory for the Crimson Tide as four players scored in the win over the Golden Eagles

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.
– The Alabama soccer team (5-1-0) cruised to victory Sunday night, taking a 4-0 win over Southern Miss (1-2) at
the Alabama Soccer Stadium.

Gianna Paul opened the scoring in the 15th minute, netting a goal in her third consecutive game and fourth game this season. UA's second goal came off a corner kick in the 26th minute as Brooke Steere leapt above the crowd on the back post and headed the ball into the back of the net. Just four minutes later Nedya Sawan converted a penalty kick to give the Tide a 3-0 advantage in the half. UA's final goal would also come off a corner kick as an uncleared ball rolled past the nearside corner for Leah Kunde to cross back towards goal for Maison Smith.

Steere and Sawan recorded their first goal of the season as Smith notched her first collegiate goal.
 

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The No. 24 Alabama soccer team (6-1) recorded its sixth consecutive win, downing Purdue (4-2-1) in a 1-0 victory on the road Thursday night.

Leah Kunde notched the game's lone goal, intercepting a failed clearance by the Purdue defense in the 26th minute of action.

From Head Coach Wes Hart

"Really proud of the team tonight. I felt good about our first half. Thought we created some good chances and did some nice things in our attack. The second half started strong, then we hit a lull midway through the half and let them grab momentum. We let them hang onto momentum a little bit too long for my liking. We just couldn't make a play to get out of our end and catch our breath. But we did a great job of defending and Coralie (Lallier) made some big plays when we needed them. That's a great win on the road for us."

Game Notes​

  • Kunde tallied her first goal of the season after intercepting a failed clearance by the Purdue defense
  • Kunde trapped the ball towards goal before volleying her shot into the back of the net
  • Alabama dominated the first half, leading 9-6 in shots as Purdue concluded the opening 45 minutes without a shot on frame
  • The Crimson Tide's defense continued to limit the Boilermakers' chances as it took Purdue until the 79th minute to find a shot on goal
  • Coralie Lallier would make two massive saves, pushing the shot in the 79th minute over the crossbar and a diving save in the 83rd minute to register a clean sheet
  • Overall, Alabama paced the game in shots on goal, 7-2
  • Alabama has now won six consecutive games and its third victory on the road
  • Nadia Ramadan tallied a team-leading three shots in the match
 
Overall, Alabama paced the game in shots on goal, 7-2
Purdue didn't have a SOG in the first...crazy, as Bama had six. That second half was "cruise control?"

I wanted to watch this match last night; it was on B1G+. I'm not going to pay $12.99 a month just for one game on that "extended" network.



The Tide plays Michigan this weekend...who, as of yesterday, hadn't won a game this season.
 
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