Alabama Soccer's Season Ends at No. 1 Stanford Despite Paul's Brace

Star Alabama soccer striker Gianna Paul did all she could to extend her collegiate career, but the senior's two-goal effort at No. 1 Stanford on Friday night was not enough to keep the Crimson Tide afloat in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinal took 22 shots on goal and won 7-3.

The No. 8-seed Crimson Tide (11-9-2) made the limited number of chances it had throughout the night count. Its three goals came on an offensive output of five total shots, four on goal and no corners taken. Meanwhile, junior goalkeeper Coralie Lallier got the start in net after being one of the biggest heroes of Alabama's advancement against Northwestern last week and logged 15 saves.

“Proud of the effort and fight we showed tonight against what I believe is the best team in the country," Crimson Tide head coach Wes Hart said in a press release. "We showed a lot of grit and resiliency, battling back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits and getting a goal back after going down 4-2. In the end, they were just too much for us."

Stanford's Jasmine Aikey opened the scoring in the fourth minute with her 16th goal of the campaign. Alabama responded off the right boot of Paul to draw things level in minute 12. The top-seeded host team hit back, courtesy of Andrea Kitahata's 14th goal of 2025, in the 18th minute.

It was a similar situation to what the Crimson Tide found itself dealing with against the Wildcats last Friday. The opponent started with a 1-0 lead, then eventually pushed out to a 2-1 advantage. As it did against Northwestern in the first round, Alabama equalized and made the score 2-2 by way of a goal from sophomore Maddie Padelski, which came in the 34th minute.

Elise Evans subsequently scored the contest's next two goals, one right before halftime for a 3-2 lead at the break and one minutes after halftime ended. With Evans' second score, for the first time in the tournament, Alabama faced a two-goal deficit. Paul got one back with a beautiful strike during the 54th minute, making it a combined seven goals that the two teams had scored before 10 minutes had elapsed in the second half.

That goal, the 40th of Paul's Crimson Tide career, would be the last of the match for Alabama. She is the program's all-time leading scorer and was one of the last players remaining on the roster from the 2022 team that reached the College Cup when she was a true freshman (and won SEC Freshman of the Year honors).

Lallier continued to hold strong even as Stanford (18-1-2) had opportunity after opportunity to widen its lead. That finally happened in the 74th minute when Aikey notched her second goal after an assist from Kitahata and Charlotte Kohler. The Cardinal netted another pair of scores in the final five minutes of regulation (one by Y-Lan Nguyen and one from Allie Montoya), ensuring that the final score did not show just how hard-fought Friday's tilt actually was, nor how well Lallier and Alabama's back line played against a true offensive force.

"I hate that it ended this way for the seniors, who have been so important for us. We are going to miss them," Hart said. "I’m so grateful for everything they have given this program.”

Stanford closed the night out with a massive number of total shots: 40. It also took 22 corners. The disparity in offensive statistics spelled the end of the Crimson Tide's fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in five seasons, and marked the final showing for one of the best players in program history.

"“I don’t want this to take away from another good season for Alabama soccer. This is the fourth time in five years that we’ve been to the second round or further in the NCAA Tournament. I don’t think a lot of programs can say that," Hart said.

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