For Wes Hart and Alabama Soccer, Experience Pays

Most of the players on Wes Hart's roster are the same ones who won the program's first NCAA Tournament match last season.

That win against Clemson was considered a huge stepping-stone for the Alabama Crimson Tide, but it turned out to be just the beginning for this group.

While that program-changing victory doesn't equate to making the College Cup, Alabama's team is one that has played together for a long time and been through a lot, developing a wealth of experience among individual players.

"I think it's been huge," Hart said during the first press conference of College Cup week, with Alabama set to face UCLA in an NCAA semifinal on Friday. "It wasn't as if we were trying to introduce a bunch of new pieces into the puzzle. This is a team filled with confidence from the way we ended last season as well as the spring season.

"I thought that was pretty big we started the season with confidence and with a lot of returners. Without question it's helped us along the way."

There are some new faces a part of the team this season, namely freshman forward Gianna Paul, the reigning SEC Freshman of the Year. Brooke Steere isn't new to the program, but she only played three games last season due to an injury.

But the other key players, like Felicia Knox, Riley Tanner, Sasha Pickard and Reyna Reyes, were all part of that 2021 team,.

Now they're all back and surpassed last season's benchmark.

There was another key returner from last year's team, but unfortunately missed the tournament due to a torn ACL: Riley Mattingly Parker. Enough has been said about Parker's play, but her leadership as a captain of the team is a major factor for Alabama.

Soccer is a sport of chemistry and playing as one, an element that has served Alabama well to this point, and will continue to serve Alabama when it takes the field against UCLA.

For example, on Tuesday, Alabama had five players land United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region honors: Felicia Knox, Parker and Reyna Reyes were selected as first-team honorees, while Riley Tanner was named to the second team and McKinley Crone was named to the all-region third team.

All except Knox, a junior, are seniors or graduate students.

It is the first time in program history that Alabama has had three student-athletes named first-team All-Southeast Region. Reyes was the first Alabama athlete to earn all-region distinctions all four years of her career, and the first to repeat as a first-team all-region selection.

That's not a coincidence as the epic run continues, with Alabama set to travel to Cary, N.C., the site of the College Cup, on Wednesday.

The Honorees

Parker set the UA record in single-season goals (17), points (41) and game-winning goals (7)
Parker's seven game-winning goals leads the NCAA, in addition to the UA graduate student ranking sixth nationally in both goals and points
Aiding the offense, Knox has tallied 20 assists this season to not only lead the NCAA in the category but also shatter the prior Alabama record of 10 assists in single season
Knox ranks 11th nationally in points with 34, adding seven goals to her performance this year
Reyes has anchored the Alabama backline to a record-setting 12 shutouts and 23 wins
Despite playing on the defensive side of the ball, Reyes has scored eight goals this season to rank second on the team
Tanner's speed and one-on-one ability on the wing has led to five assists and eight goals for the Tide
Of her five assists this season, four have been on the game-winning goal as Tanner helped UA defeat then-No. 5 South Carolina, Texas A&M, then-No. 20 Ole Miss and Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament
Crone has set the Alabama record for most goalkeeper wins in a season with 23 and solo shutouts with 10
She holds a goals-against average of 0.674 which ranks second in program history as Alabama has outscored its opponents 76-17 this season
Parker was named the SEC Forward of the Year and SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while Knox was named the SEC Midfielder of the Year and Reyes was named the SEC Defender of the Year

The Historic Season

Alabama is in the midst of its best season in program history as the Crimson Tide makes its College Cup debut on Friday
UA won its first-ever SEC Championship after going 10-0 in Southeastern Conference Play and advanced to the SEC Tournament championship game for the first time since 1995
The Tide went undefeated at home, extending its unbeaten streak to 20 wins at the Alabama Soccer Stadium
UA reached its best-ever nationally ranking at No. 2 in the country during the season
The Crimson Tide has set the season record for points (220), goals (76), assists (68), shots (528), shots on goal (224), wins (23) and shutouts (12)

Gianna Paul Could Be An X-Factor For Alabama Soccer

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