Alabama Soccer Shuts Out Western Carolina in NCAA Tournament Opener

For the third consecutive year, the Alabama soccer team is moving on in the NCAA Tournament.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— On a rainy day during which the temperature dropped as the match wore on, the Alabama soccer team overtook Western Carolina in first-round action to advance in the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season. It wasn't as lopsided as last season's 9-0 win over Jackson State in the first round, but the 2-0 shutout ended the Crimson Tide's home slate on a positive note. Head coach Wes Hart said he was glad to get the fans out there on a day in which his team was vying for spectators with a number of other sporting events.

Sixth-seeded Alabama made the most of its lone opportunity to host a match in the tournament. Western Carolina, champion of the SoCon, had not been in the field since 2008. The competitive fire of the Catamounts was evident even in the cold, but the Crimson Tide is one of those teams that rarely drops one at home. 

"I think [the win] says a lot about the program and where we're at and where we're headed," Hart said. He touched on the importance of his team's game-by-game focus now that the alternative to winning is the season's end. "There is no tomorrow if you don't take care of business today... Credit to our players for making some adjustments. I thought we looked quite good in the second half." He attributed his team's first-half difficulties to challenges imposed by a game Catamounts unit.

Set pieces have proven an area in which Alabama improved as the season has progressed, and it was through a set piece that the home team got on the board on Friday. Midfielder Macy Clem, who also scored off a corner kick in last season's tournament, got another one in 2023 courtesy of defender Marianna Annest. The goal was the first of the season for Clem, who took her bonus year while sharing her squad's hopes of another tournament run akin to last season.

"Four years ago, we weren't even in the NCAA tournament, three years in a row making it, and then another year of making it past the first round, it's awesome for Alabama," Clem said. 

It was still anybody's match as the minutes wore on. Western Carolina, which took four shots on goal on the night, didn't concede another for a long while and wasn't going away. With seconds left in the 82nd minute, Itala Gemelli had her signature moment in a Crimson Tide uniform. She took one around the side of the pitch and sent it home for the winning goal. Seven saves weren't enough for Catamounts keeper Leanne Trudel to keep her team alive in the matchup.

Gemelli, for whom Friday's score was the third goal of the campaign, said that even in the late stages of the match, the score opened up a lot. She has a propensity for big ones. Her score against Ole Miss on Oct. 19 was the only goal of that match for either side. 

"[The] second half, going into it, we knew that we needed to clinch the game, and end the game," she said. "Getting that second goal just allowed us to... not have to stress [as] much."

Of note was the absence of Alabama star Gianna Paul. The sophomore striker was not in the starting lineup and did not play at all on Friday. Hart said she's nursing an injury from the SEC Tournament and the team didn't want to risk her potentially getting hurt worse. Her status for the second round is questionable, though Hart is hopeful she can go. One of the players to log meaningful minutes in Paul's stead was freshman Cameron Silva. "Definitely nerve-wracking," said Silva, "but I just had to take it in as another game. It's a much bigger game, but I definitely had to stay a little bit cool, calm and collected."

The Crimson Tide (12-4-5) was tantalized by the possibility of a rematch of its Sept. 10 game against North Carolina. The Tar Heels defeated Towson 3-1 after trailing for several minutes, and so that rematch is now reality. Alabama players didn't want to look past the Catamounts, and Hart didn't want them to, but now the team will face the powder blue for a second time this season. That match will take place next Friday in Lubbock, Texas.

"We're all thrilled," said Clem. "To play North Carolina twice in a season is a gift. We're all more than excited to go and give it our all."

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Alabama Soccer Draws Western Carolina in First NCAA Tournament Match