Box Score TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (August 22, 2024) – The University of North Alabama soccer team played in their first true road match of the season Thursday night in Tuscaloosa, playing in-state SEC opponent Alabama. The Crimson Tide won 3-1.
This the second all-time matchup for the two teams, both in the Division I era and under head coach Chris Walker.
The Lions (1-2) were the early aggressors on Thursday with their first goal at the 7:05 mark in the first period. Molly Parham received a throw-in from Malin Andersson as she split two Tide defenders to assist Hope Lensing on the goal. Alabama (2-1) came back quickly thanks to two goals within two minutes of each other, at the 16th minute and the latter in the 18th.
The 2-1 advantage later grew by another in the second half behind a penalty kick from sophomore midfielder Nadia Ramadan. Ramadan scored two of the three goals for the Tide and recorded three total shots.
For the Lions, 18 players recorded minutes in Tuscaloosa with midfielder Abby Thornton, goalkeeper Allanah Blye, defender Montana Merkle, defender Gracie Tyrrell and defender Malin Andersson playing the full game.
Tyrrell and Lensing recorded two shots on goal while Parham received the lone assist for the game; Parham and Merkle added another shot to the box score. Abby Patterson recorded one more shot on a penalty kick in the 85th minute.
Despite the loss, UNA held a 3-1 advantage in saves.
The Lions are back in action on Thursday, August 29 at Middle Tennessee State University. Kickoff from Murfreesboro is scheduled for 7 p.m. This will be UNA's second road game of the season and where they won an exhibition at the beginning of the 2023 season.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
