Bama Central

Alabama Soccer Set To Open NCAA Tournament Against Northwestern: Roll Call

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Alabama Drops 2-1 Heartbreaker to No. 8 Vanderbilt in SEC Quarterfinals
Alabama Drops 2-1 Heartbreaker to No. 8 Vanderbilt in SEC Quarterfinals | Rolltide.com

The Alabama soccer team will host Northwestern on Friday evening in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament, marking the third time in four years the Crimson Tide has opened the season-ending tournament at home.

Alabama, an eighth seed, will face the Wildcats at 6 p.m. CT, at the Alabama Soccer Stadium. It's the program’s seventh NCAA appearance and fifth under head coach Wes Hart.

Earlier this week, Hart said the Crimson Tide was “very excited” to earn a seed and the opportunity to play at home. He also called the matchup a tough first-round test.

Northwestern (9-4-7, 4-2-5 Big Ten) is 4-2-1 all-time in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament as the Wildcats are making their eighth appearance.

Sophomore forward Kennedy Roesche leads Northwestern in scoring with nine goals, which was second in the Big Ten this season. She was named First-Team All-Bog Ten while, senior defender Brooke Miller and senior midfielder Caterina Regazzoni were second-team selections, and midfielder Keira Kemmerley to the All-Freshman Team.

Freshman goaltender Nyamma Nelson has 10, the fourth-most in school history and most by a first-year goalkeeper in school history.

Alabama (11-8-1, 4-6-0 SEC) is led by senior forward Gianna Paul, who holds the all-time Alabama records in goals (38) and points (89). Paul ranks second in the SEC in points (26) and fourth in the SEC in goals (10). Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Madi Munguia has started 17 games for Alabama, posting a .676 save percentage to go with a 1.41 goals against average.

The winner of Friday night's First Round matchup will advance to the Second Round, where it'll face the winner of No. 1 Stanford and Cal Poly at a campus site to be determined.

It's the first meeting between Alabama and Northwestern in women's soccer.

Weekend Crimson Tide Schedule

Friday
Cross Country: South Regional Championships at Huntsville, Ala.; Women 8:30 a.m. CT / Men 9:30 a.m. CT, TV: ESPN+.
Men's Tennis: Universal Tennis Rating Pro Tennis Tour at Tuscaloosa, Ala., all day
Volleyball: Vanderbilt at Alabama, 6 p.m.
Soccer: Northwestern at Alabama, NCAA Tournament, 6 p.m., ESPN+

Saturday
Football: Oklahoma at Alabama, at Bryant-Denny Stadium (Homecoming), 2:30 p.m., ABC

Sunday
Volleyball: Missouri at Alabama, 2 p.m.

SEC News:

Did You Notice?

  • The New England Patriots beat the New York Jets 27–14 on Thursday night, with Alabama alums contributing on both sides. For New England, Christian Barmore delivered three tackles, a tackle for loss, a nine-yard sack and two quarterback hits, while Anfernee Jennings added a tackle and recovered a fumble. On the Jets’ side, John Metchie caught three passes for 45 yards and a touchdown, and Malachi Moore finished with three tackles and a pass deflection.
  • Alabama honored WNBA champion Aaliyah Nye during, recognizing the former Crimson Tide standout in front of the home crowd at Coleman Coliseum.
  • Alabama made it official, signing two of the nation’s top junior golfers in Phillip Dunham and Bailey Sutton. Both are Rolex All-Americans and rank inside the AJGA’s top 30 nationally, arriving in Tuscaloosa with multiple junior wins on their résumés. 

On This Day in Crimson Tide History:

November 14, 1974: Johnny Mack Brown died in Woodland Hills, Calif.

November 14, 1981: Behind the passing of quarterback Walter Lewis and the receiving of Joey Jones and Jesse Bendross, Alabama rolled to a 31-16 win at Penn State in the first game of a 10-year series. The victory gave Paul W. “Bear” Bryant his 314th career win, tying him with Amos Alonzo Stagg for first on the all-time win list. Lewis was 6-for-10 for 167 yards, while Jones had four catches for 135 yards and Bendross three for 55 and two touchdowns. Paul Carruth was the leading rusher for the Crimson Tide with 64 yards on 14 carries and one touchdown.

November 14, 1998: Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith was born in Amite City, La.

Crimson Tide Quote of the Day:

He's been a class act. When you watch their teams play there's not a lot of junk going on. They play hard. They play tough. They play all out. They're disciplined. Nick's a fine football coach, a good guy, good family and the whole bit.”
Joe Paterno

We'll Leave You with This:

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Henry Sklar
HENRY SKLAR

Henry Sklar is an intern at Alabama Crimson Tide/Bama Central. He previously covered Alabama football and basketball for TideIllustrated.com and was a contributing writer for The Crimson White, focusing on golf and football. He also has extensive experience on social media, including TikTok. He’s lived in six different states, enjoys playing golf and DJing in his free time while majoring in News Media with a concentration in sports media.

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