The Crimson Tide were faced with adversity Thursday night and responded with two clutch goals in the final minutes to get a much needed conference win.
Alabama came into their match Thursday attempting to avoid losing consecutive matches for the first time in two years. For about 65 minutes, back-to-back losses seemed to be a reality.
Missouri opened strong, as anyone could tell this team was playing with a chip on its shoulder having already been eliminated from SEC tournament contention. The Tigers capitalized on a slow start from the Tide, scoring their first goal in the 11th minute off a powerful shot from Jenna Bartels.
Missouri was able to hold the 1-0 lead all the way into halftime, thanks to goalkeeper Bella Hollenbach’s three first half saves. Despite the Tigers’ struggles, Hollenbach has been one of the best keepers in the SEC this season with 49 saves.
The Crimson Tide completely switched the momentum in the second half, as they finally looked like a team eager to earn a first round bye in the SEC tournament. Alabama evened the score in the 67th minute thanks to a header from Brooke Steere, coming off a Felicia Knox corner kick.
The goal was Steere’s second of both this season and the month of October. Steere’s first goal was also a header off a corner kick, just three games earlier against LSU.
A draw was not enough to satisfy the Tide though, knowing they needed a win to help their hopes of being a top six seed. Alabama’s game winning goal came late in the 86th minute, when Marianna Annest placed one perfectly in the top left corner, from another Knox assist. The goal was Annest’s fourth of the year and gave Knox her sixth assist on the season.
Alabama showed coach Wes Hart exactly what he wanted to see in the second half, fighting back for the win. Hart gave praise following the win, saying, “I was really pleased with our second half. We played with a lot of urgency and purpose. We did a great job of getting to the endline and creating chances.”
The win was enough to earn the Tide its third consecutive first round bye in the SEC tournament in Pensacola, Florida next week. Alabama finished as the fifth seed in the tournament, behind just Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina and Mississippi State.
Alabama finishes the regular season with an 11-4-4 record, including a 5-4-1 record in conference play.
The Crimson Tide will begin their postseason run on Tuesday night with a highly anticipated rematch against Mississippi State. The Bulldogs gave Alabama their first home loss in two years on October 22nd.
Caden Johnson serves as WVUA-FM’s senior soccer writer. @CadenLJohnson.
