TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – For the second consecutive match, the Crimson Tide has been held scoreless. Luckily for them, they’ve remained undefeated through this drought.
Sunday evening’s match against Samford had several similarities to the Tide’s prior game versus Miami. Alabama had multiple instances where a potential scoring run began, but they just couldn’t finish. Gianna Paul’s speed was on display all game, getting out in front and challenging the Bulldog back line. Tide sophomore Isabel Smith nearly put the Tide on the scoreboard a few times, tallying four shots, three of which were on goal.
Alabama quickly found out that this Samford team was no pushover.
“Going into games, that’s our mindset, we expect to win, but so do our opponents. They’re trying to win as well and credit to Samford,” Alabama coach Wes Hart said, crediting the Bulldogs’ effort.
Unlike in the Miami game, the Alabama back line was tested Sunday night as Samford put up four shots on goal, the same amount as the Crimson Tide. Tide goalkeeper Coralie Lallier stepped up when it mattered most, finishing with four saves, the most notable being a crucial save in the 78th minute of the match. Both keepers saved the game for their respective teams, as Zoe Clevely had an impressive four save shutout performance for the Bulldogs.
Sasha Pickard and Gessica Skorka led the Alabama defense in what was a physical game all the way through. Three yellow cards were handed out throughout the game, two to the Tide (Macy Clem and Cameron Silva), and one to Samford.
Leah Kunde had a clean look at a potential game-winner for Alabama in the 77th minute, but the shot sailed just left of the goal.
“Looking at us, we’ve got room to grow. We are by no means playing to our potential. We lost some great players from a year ago that accounted for a lot of our offense. We have some very good players filling those holes, but we are still trying to figure out how to put all the pieces together and make things click,” Hart said following the Tide’s second straight draw Sunday night.
Alabama moves to a record of 4-0-2 with the draw. The Crimson Tide will look to pick up their first win in a three game stretch when they travel to Hattiesburg, Mississippi to take on Southern Mississippi next Thursday.
Caden Johnson serves as WVUA-FM’s senior soccer writer. You can follow Johnson on X @CadenLJohnson.