Alabama
5-6 (1-2)
Kentucky
5-4-1 (2-0-1)
Alabama Soccer Drops Heartbreaker to Kentucky, 1-0
10/1/2004 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
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LEXINGTON, KY - The Alabama soccer team played the University of Kentucky scoreless for 88 minutes on Friday night, but came away with a 1-0 loss when the Wildcats scored with 1:23 to play in regulation.
The Wildcats' Kristin Moyer scored the game's only goal, her third of the year, off a corner kick from Courtney McCrudden to win the game. Moyer also scored a goal in the closing minutes of Sunday's game at Arkansas to send the game into overtime. All of Moyer's goals this season have come off corner kicks.
For the Crimson Tide, the loss was its third loss in the final two minutes this season and comes just one week after it dropped another heartbreaker to Florida.
"You have to hand it to Kentucky," said Alabama head coach Don Staley, "they found a way to put the ball away when they had chances. I'm extremely disappointed in the outcome because I thought was had opportunities and didn't convert."
Alabama's defense kept it in the game as Kentucky had several chances to take the lead throughout the game and especially in the second half, but couldn't find a way to get the ball in the net until Moyer's late goal.
At the 60:00 mark of the game, Alabama committed a foul just outside the box and gave Kentucky a shot at taking the lead. However, goal-keeper Laura Lowman stood tall and made a brilliant save, diving to her left to keep the ball out of the net. Alabama committed seven fouls and Kentucky had 13 corner kicks on the night. It turned out to be too much for Tide to overcome.
"I thought our defense played a great game," said Staley.
However, Alabama didn't go without opportunities to score. Just seven minutes after Lowman's diving save, Alabama had a similar shot after a Kentucky foul just inside the box, but Cally Morrill's shot went just wide right and the game remained scoreless.
With 15:00 showing on the clock, Alabama went on perhaps its best attack of the night when it found itself in a three-on-two advantage in the Kentucky zone. Senior Katie French connected with Natalie Kohn in the right side of the field, but Kohn's shot went wide and what would be the Tide's final chance to score went by the board.
Those were Alabama's only two shots of the second half.
The Crimson Tide and Wildcats played a scoreless first half with only eight combined shots. But in the second half, Kentucky out-shot Alabama seven to two.
Through three SEC games, the Tide has yet to score a first half goal and has been shutout in the first half of four consecutive games. Alabama entered Friday night as the SEC's top scoring offense, but has now been shutout in two of its three league games.
Alabama will be back in action on Sunday when it travels to Nashville, Tenn. to battle the Vanderbilt Commodores at 2:30.
Team Stats
Kristin Moyer (3)
Assisted By: Courtney McCrudden
off corner kick
88:51
