Alabama soccer shuts out Jacksonville State
The Alabama soccer team shut out Jacksonville State 3-0 at the JSU Soccer Complex on Thursday night.
The Crimson Tide’s high-octane attack kept the pressure on the Gamecock backline the entire first half, piling on ten shots, but failed to find the back of the net.
The game remained scoreless until six seconds into the second half, when junior Brynn Martin struck. Casey Wertz doubled Alabama’s advantage in the 61st minute and Riley Mattingly added a third shorty after with a 68-minute free kick to seal the win for the Crimson Tide.
"I am very pleased with our performance tonight," Alabama coach West Hart said in a release. "We had a lot of the ball and created a ton of quality scoring chances. Jacksonville State did not make it easy for us though. Their commitment to defend in and around the box was high class, but our team kept plugging away, did not get discouraged, and were eventually rewarded for our efforts.
"I was happy to see A.J. Crooks get her first career shutout. She made a huge play for us at 0-0 that could've changed the complexion of the game. This was a good win heading into a very tough home game against North Texas on Sunday."
Alabama finished the match outshooting the Gamecocks 20-2 with 10 of those shots on goal.
The match finished with the Crimson Tide also holding a 14-0 advantage on corners.
Crooks, a freshman, was making her first career start. She matched her first save in the 37th minute to prevent a JSU counterattack.
Alabama returns home from its five-game road trip on Sunday to face North Texas.
