The South Carolina women’s soccer team lost 2-0 against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the first round of the SEC Tournament. The loss marked the first time since 2012 that South Carolina has not advanced past the first round of the SEC tournament.
South Carolina began the game strong, as they maintained control throughout the offensive half.
The Tide recorded the first major scoring chance 15 minutes into the match after a shot by junior midfielder Melina Rebimbas drilled off the crossbar, and the ensuing shot off the rebound was missed wide right.
Alabama continued its attack in the 17th minute and 26th minute with a pair of set pieces. The Tide had two free kicks from right outside the 18-yard box, but didn’t take advantage of the opportunities as they did not record a shot on goal.
After 45 minutes of play, South Carolina and Alabama entered halftime tied at 0-0. The Gamecocks recorded three shots on goal compared to the Tide’s one.
Early on in the second half, Rebimbas came close to scoring once again after she hit the woodwork for the second time in the match. The Tide then had another free kick from right outside the box in the 55th minute that got deflected by the South Carolina defense.
South Carolina was turned away in the 72nd minute after Alabama redshirt freshman goalkeeper Madi Munguia came off her line to stop a shot by senior midfielder Kinley Brown.
Shortly after, Alabama opened the scoring in the 75th minute when junior forward Larkin Thomason flicked the ball over the head of South Carolina senior goalkeeper Christina Tsaousis.
South Carolina pursued its first goal for the rest of the game. Its best chance came with six minutes left in the match when Munguia made a diving save on a shot by junior midfielder Autumn Cayelli.
Alabama later took the lead in the 88th minute after senior forward Gianna Paul rebounded and finished her initial shot to give Alabama a 2-0 lead. This was Paul’s 10th goal of the season, as she ranks top-5 in the SEC in this category.
Offensive struggles
South Carolina was held scoreless against the Tide for just the third consecutive game. Despite recording more corner kicks and shots on goal, the Gamecocks were unable to get on the scoreboard.
The Tide limited sophomore forward Katie Shea Collins as well, who was only able to muster one shot on goal during her 90 minutes of play. Collins ranked third in the SEC during the regular season with 10 goals.
Impressive defense
After the game remained tied at zero for over 70 minutes, it took an athletic goal by Thomason to get the Tide on the scoreboard. Paul’s goal at the end of the game was also a result of the Tide taking advantage of a counterattack as South Carolina aggressively pursued an equalizing goal.
Tsaousis recorded three saves in the loss against the tenth-seeded Crimson Tide. It was South Carolina's third time this season allowing multiple goals in a match.
The silver lining
Although South Carolina has been eliminated from the SEC Tournament, their season is not over. The Gamecocks will most likely qualify for the NCAA Tournament, where they can receive one of the 34 at-large bids to extend its season.
For a team to be selected for the tournament, the NCAA committee balances many qualifications such as winning percentage and their strength of schedule. South Carolina has remained a ranked team in the eyes of the NCAA all season, with an impressive win over then No. 25 Ohio State Buckeyes and a tie against current No. 4 Arkansas Razorbacks.
The NCAA Tournament is a 64-team tournament that’ll begin on Nov. 14 after all of the conference postseason tournaments conclude.