TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Tide’s historic run continues, as they move on to the quarterfinals following a 3-1 win Sunday afternoon.
It was another scrappy, physical game for the Crimson Tide on Sunday, and they once again proved they can match any team’s physicality in the country.
The high intensity and physicality did not come without consequences, as there were a total of 37 fouls called in the match; 22 against the Anteaters and 15 against the Tide. None of UC Irvine’s 22 fouls were more devastating than the foul called in favor of Tide midfielder Felicia Knox in the 87th minute, resulting in the game-sealing penalty kick.
Despite possessing the ball in the attacking third for most of the first half, Alabama was once again held scoreless for the majority of the game. However, once the Tide got rolling on offense, they couldn’t be stopped.
Knox opened up scoring in the 55th minute, followed by an Ashlynn Serepca goal in the 59th to give the Tide a 2-0 lead early in the second half.
The Anteaters did not back down, scoring a goal in the 65th minute to cut the Tide’s lead to just one.
Crimson Tide goalkeeper McKinley Crone had yet another strong performance, recording all three of her saves in the second half, helping Alabama fend off UC Irvine.
As mentioned earlier, a penalty kick perfectly placed in the top left corner by Knox was the dagger for the Tide, giving them the 3-1 lead that ended up being the final score.
Knox, The SEC midfielder of the year, shined Sunday, scoring her seventh and eighth goals of the year in the round three match.
Alabama will need their stars to continue to perform moving forward, as they will face the winner of South Carolina and Duke in the fourth round of the NCAA Tournament.
