After Missouri dropped the conference opener at South Carolina, the Tigers headed into Tuscaloosa, Alabama, looking for coach Stefanie Golan’s first conference victory.
Thursday’s match included a tough defensive battle early on, followed by a flurry of goals in the second half, but the Tigers ultimately fell 2-1 to the Crimson Tide.
The first half started slow, as neither team found any seams to attack. Both Alabama and Missouri’s back four played stout defense, making it difficult for anyone to get through.
One of the three first-half shots for Missouri came when midfielder Macy Trujillo had an opportunity inside the penalty area and missed wide right. Then Alabama responded with a few quality shots of their own to finish off the half, but none of them could get past sophomore keeper Sophia Worth.
The second half opened up much like the first with neither team finding any space to work. But once Alabama broke through for one of their big chances, a huge save from Worth kept the game scoreless. But shortly after, Alabama’s sophomore midfielder Kate Henderson found the back of the net after a short cross from sophomore defender Gessica Skorka. Fifteen seconds later, Trujillo pierced a beautiful through ball into the attacking third, and junior forward Jadyn Easley scored with her first goal of the season to level the score.
Missouri’s good fortunes for the night ended right there.
A scary sight in the 77th minute, Worth went down with a knee injury and was taken off the field. Backup junior keeper McKenna Sheehan took her spot to finish out the game.
The Tide broke through Sheehan’s keeping and in the 85th minute, as forward Riley Tanner scored her first goal of the year after a quick give-and-go, and Alabama took a late 2-1 advantage. The Crimson Tide held off any late attacks and the Tigers fell on the road to open SEC play with back-to-back losses.
Edited by Mason Arneson \ marneson@themaneater.com