TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Tide came out hot to start the SEC tournament, picking up a 2-0 victory against the Bulldogs of Mississippi State on Tuesday evening.
Since 2015, no team has won both the regular season SEC championship and the SEC tournament. The top seeded Crimson Tide are looking to change that this year, and they got off to the start they needed.
The Tide faced the Bulldogs not too long ago in the regular season, winning in a much higher scoring match, 4-1. However, the theme of Tuesday night’s matchup against Mississippi State seemed to be centered around great goalkeeper play from both sides as well as strong performances from Alabama’s back line.
Alabama dominated the attacking third all throughout the first half, putting up 16 shots compared to just three from the Bulldogs. The Tide also forced five corners in the first half followed by four in the second.
Ashlynn Serepca put the Tide on the scoreboard first in just the 13th minute on a goal assisted by Riley Tanner. Macy Clem followed it up with another goal in the 32nd minute, managing to get a foot on a loose ball while being on the ground to just barely squeak it by the Mississippi State goalkeeper.
The Bulldog goalkeeper, Mac Titus, kept the score from being a lot worse in this one, as she finished with an impressive 11 saves on 13 shots on goal from the Tide. Titus was able to successfully block a penalty kick try from Reyna Reyes in the first half as well.
The Crimson Tide will look to continue rolling in the semi-finals on Thursday night, when they play the winner of Arkansas and Vanderbilt.
