No. 7 Alabama Soccer Unable to Put Away No. 23 Georgia in Draw

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— In the search for a definitive result, the No. 7 Alabama soccer team was kept waiting on Thursday in its SEC opener. No. 23 Georgia made its return to the venue for the first time since 2016, coming within inches of snapping the Crimson Tide's 25-match home unbeaten streak.

"Mixed feelings. That's what a tie does," head coach Wes Hart said. "I thought there were some good moments. I thought the second half, especially, we looked more dangerous. The first half, we may have had more spells of possession, but we weren't dangerous. I challenged the group at halftime to take more risks and be more courageous and make things happen. We did that to an extent. You saw a couple more chances there in the second half.

"We're still trying to figure out who we are."

A hallmark of last season's College Cup squad was early goals, and the Crimson Tide (5-0-4) got one in the fourth minute on Thursday when Gianna Paul netted her sixth goal in nine matches. Felicia Knox set her up and the sophomore striker capitalized. Georgia keeper Jordan Brown seemed almost resigned to the ball coming in hot, and couldn't stop it.

Undeterred, the Bulldogs (3-1-3) added the equalizer roughly 10 minutes later off the boot of Nicole Vernis. It was almost as if Georgia had a second lease. Over the past year, the Crimson Tide has beaten so many teams by first sending a message with a quick goal. There was still a long way to go in the match. Georgia and Alabama traded the next two shots before the Crimson Tide began outpacing the visitors' output. No chance was as good as the one Paul converted on in the first 45 minutes.

True to Hart's hopes, Alabama threatened more in the second stanza. Anchored by a defense that has only conceded four times through the first nine contests, the attack stepped up its game. At times this season, the Crimson Tide has been cautious. On this night, it was just a case of not following through. Alabama won balls in the air, got good positioning, created chances and took the looks it had.

SEC play is a different animal. Georgia was no exception. The relentless Bulldogs pushed the pace on the Crimson Tide, and it almost led to a second goal midway through the final half.

In the 63rd minute, Georgia had a breakaway chance that it hoped would end in a goal for Hannah White. Alabama goalkeeper Dylan Pixton, starting in net one game after stablemate Coralie Lallier was awarded SEC Freshman of the Week honors, charged at the ball and dove for it. She made the save off her line, and her back line was there to clear the ball. The Bulldogs didn't lose the match, but any lingering frustrations concerning the result may well revolve around wanting that opportunity back.

"They put a little pressure on our backs, but I have full confidence in our back line, that they're able to lock it down," Pixton said. "People can't be perfect, but they're always there. And I'm there to back them up. That's what my position is. I'm glad that I'm able to get all those loose balls that pop in and out, and then they're right there behind me getting back. It was good.

"They did a great job tonight," she added emphatically.

The match called for a lot of effort on both teams' defenses. Such is the nature of the beast when it comes to this conference. The players and coaches expect it. "Our goal is the same [in or out of conference], to not let them score," said Crimson Tide defender Gessica Skorka. "Sometimes we reach that goal. Sometimes we don't. But I don't think our effort changes."

The Georgia scare didn't cause Alabama to go into caution mode. On the contrary, the offense, in the trademarked press-and-hunt style, went after a second goal of its own. Paul had another chance in the 67th minute and another in the 81st minute. The Crimson Tide took a corner in the 84th, and then freshman midfielder Nadia Ramadan took a shot at the net just over half a minute later. Ramadan, for her part, has blossomed into an aggressive player who looks for goals. She had a hand in one of Alabama's best chances in the first half, an eighth-minute shot by Leah Kunde that missed right.

Pixton said the Bulldogs matched the Crimson Tide's energy, while Skorka pointed out one successful area for the Bulldogs: playing the ball. Georgia had a lot of quality first touches. Hart was encouraged by the fact that his squad played well with multiple personnel arrangements, which he has used to help the Crimson Tide establish its identity.

"We've got potential," he said. "I leave this game, it's discouraging because we want the result [win], but at the same time, it's exciting, knowing that we're not even playing our best soccer and yet we're a top 10 team in the country."

Alabama has a brief reprieve from Southeastern Conference competition in its next match in the form of a dance with Mercer, the first of two consecutive matches on the road. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT on Sept. 17.

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