Live Updates: No. 9 Alabama Soccer at No. 11 Arkansas

With SEC play now in full swing, the first road test is a difficult one for the No. 9 Alabama soccer team.

The Crimson Tide (6-0-4) got the offensive burst it needed in its last contest on Sept. 17 against Mercer, in which five first half goals were more than enough to win the final nonconference match of the regular season. It was a refreshing result following consecutive draws against ranked opposition, including a 1-1 decision in the conference opener against then-No. 23 Georgia.

Arkansas (5-2-1) has only lost to some of the best of the best, dropping matches against Clemson and North Carolina, the latter of which Alabama played to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 10. On the Crimson Tide's run to an SEC title last season, a 2-1 win in Tuscaloosa against the Razorbacks was one of the toughest and best victories. On the other side of that coin, that was a match Arkansas wanted back. This time, it will be on the Razorbacks' turf. Arkansas will get its chance at payback in a sport where it's hard to win on the road.

Did the Alabama offense find the answers it was looking for this past Sunday? Perhaps, especially with two of its talented freshmen each finding the net for the first time. In its two consecutive wins, Arkansas has scored three apiece. Five is enough to beat that, but the singular goal the Crimson Tide netted against Georgia isn't, and the SEC is far from light work. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT.

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