TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Mississippi State put a dampener on the Crimson Tide’s senior celebration Sunday night, handing Alabama its first home loss in over two years, 2-0.

The Tide honored their seven seniors throughout the night, beginning with a pregame ceremony where players were honored and applauded at midfield with their families. The seniors (Marianna Annest, Tanna Sanchez-Carreto, Felicia Knox, Dylan Pixton, Gessica Skorka, Itala Gemelli and Kate Henderson) had their numbers painted on the sideline of the pitch prior to the match.

Not much came from the first half, as neither side was able to capitalize on promising attacks. Gianna Paul had a one-on-one with the Mississippi State goalkeeper but was unable to score, after an acrobatic save. The Bulldogs also had a first half goal overturned due to an offsides call.

The second half was a much different story, as the Bulldogs were able to take the lead in the 62nd minute, with a counter attack goal scored by Aitana Martinez-Montoya. Mississippi State extended their lead just 12 minutes later with a score from Maggie Wadsworth.

“I look at the game as a whole, and we created enough chances,” Coach Wes Hart said, in response to the loss. “We got three or four good looks in the first half and three or four good looks in the second half. We didn’t finish our chances and they made the most of theirs.”

The Crimson Tide just could not find the back of the net Sunday night, missing all six of their shots on goal, including five in the second half alone. Mississippi State’s win can be largely credited to Maddy Anderson’s six save performance.

Felicia Knox acknowledged both the Tide’s struggles and their potential positive takeaways after the game, saying, “ I wouldn’t say we failed on the execution. We got some good opportunities… but at the end of the day, we have to put them away and take care of business on the defensive half.”

Despite the loss, Alabama held their heads high after the game, holding a meet-and-greet for seniors. Tide fans were able to receive autographs and take photos with the seniors out on the
pitch.

The team’s confidence and spirit seems to be unfazed following the loss, as Kate Henderson claims they believe that they can still make a “deep run” in not just the SEC tournament, but the NCAA tournament as well.

The Crimson Tide will head into their regular season finale against Missouri with a record of 10-4-4 and 4-4-1 in conference play. Missouri has already been eliminated from SEC tournament contention.

Alabama will look to finish the regular season on a high note when they travel to take on the Tigers Thursday night.

 

Caden Johnson serves as WVUA-FM’s senior soccer writer. You can follow him on X @CadenLJohnson.