The No. 8 seeded Mississippi State University soccer team was defeated by the top-seeded University of Alabama 2-0 Tuesday in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinal in Pensacola, Florida. 
After an electrifying overtime victory against Texas A&M University on Sunday, the Bulldogs advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in program history. Alabama came into the match off a first-round bye.
The first period began with the Crimson Tide offense looking to tag on a goal early. Alabama attempted three shots on goal in the first ten minutes without any luck, as MSU sophomore goalkeeper Mac Titus recorded three saves.
The Crimson Tide’s high-powered offense refused to give in to the Bulldogs’ defense. In the 13th minute, Ashlynn Serepca scored, giving Alabama a 1-0 lead.  
The Bulldogs’ defense needed to find a way to hold Alabama’s offense back. In the 24th minute, Titus answered the call when she made a key save on a penalty kick by Alabama’s Reyna Reyes. However, this success was only temporary for the Bulldogs. In the 32nd minute, Macy Clem netted another goal for Alabama to give the Tide a 2-0 lead. 
MSU’s offense attempted only three shots in the period with no success. The closest the Bulldogs came to scoring happened in the 39th minute, but Alabama’s goalkeeper McKinley Crone saved the shot.  
In the second period, MSU’s offense battled Alabama’s defense, looking for a chance to route a comeback. In the 82nd minute, Gwen Mummert took a shot at the goal, but Crone prevented the shot. Just two minutes later, MSU’s Ashlyn Kane pushed a shot toward the goal, and Crone made yet another save for Alabama.    
Defensively, the Bulldogs fought hard with Alabama’s offense in the period. Titus played an effective role, as she recorded five saves and kept the Crimson Tide scoreless for the period.
Following the match, Bulldogs head coach James Armstrong discussed the team’s response in the second period.
“We are so proud of the response the team gave in the second half versus an excellent Alabama team,” Armstrong said. “We need to use that momentum to push forward for the rest of the season.”
Even though the Bulldogs completely shut out Alabama’s offense in the second period, it was not enough. The Crimson Tide’s tight defensive hold of the Bulldogs’ offense was too much to overcome, as the Bulldogs could not find a way to score in the period. The final score rested at 2-0, Crimson Tide. 
The Bulldogs learn their NCAA tournament fate Nov. 7 on the NCAA Selection Show. The show will be streamed live on NCAA.com at 2:30 p.m.