TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama powered past Jacksonville State, 4-0, in the season opener for both soccer clubs on Thursday evening at the Alabama Soccer Complex.

Electrical issues with the lighting at the facility caused the first half to be played under one side of the field's sets of lights. An extended halftime allowed for all the lights to be fixed for the second half.

The Crimson Tide registered the first goal of the contest near the 10-minute mark after a shot by UA was deflected by Jax State goalkeeper Morgan Lerch and netted by Felicia Knox on the rebound. UA pushed the deficit to 2-0 in the final minute of the opening 45 minutes with an unassisted goal by Macy Clem.

After nearly close to an hour delay at halftime, 'Bama quickly extended its lead in the opening minute of the second half to 3-0 after Ashlynn Serepca's goal in the 46th minute. The Crimson Tide capped off the scoring with a goal by Leah Kunde in the 67th minute.

"I was disappointed in the first half because we lost our shape a little bit," said head coach Neil Macdonald. "We got caught pressing high and not keeping our discipline. I thought our second half performance was really solid, but at that pint when you are down at that point it was tough to get back in it but I thought we were much more solid in the second half."

UA finished with 25 total shots, while limiting JSU to five on the evening. Lerch finished with nine saves which is one off her career high of 10 stops against Samford during the 2018 season. Freshman Kylie Wells, who paced the Gamecocks in total shots last season, finished with a pair of shots. Sophomore Cynthia Bagozzi, junior Ali Thomas and junior Reilly Kucko added attempts on the night.

"Hopefully we can turn this into a positive after learning some things about ourselves," added Macdonald. "It is an opportunity for us to show some improvement. Everything about that Alabama team is special."

The Gamecocks will host Jackson State on Sunday, August 22 at the JSU Soccer Field for their home opener. Match time is set for 1 p.m. Admission is free to all home JSU soccer matches. The contest will also be streamed on ESPN+. The Lady Tigers of JSU dropped a 3-0 decision to McNeese State on Thursday night.

"All credit to our girls for the commitment and if we can correct some things going forward, we have a really good chance to be good."

For more information on the JSU soccer team, follow the Gamecocks on Twitter (@JSUGamecocksSOC). For more on all Gamecocks sports teams, follow the official social media accounts of JSU Athletics on Twitter (@JSUGamecocks), Facebook (Facebook.com/JSUGamecocks), Instagram (@JSUGamecocks) and Snapchat (@JSUGamecocks).

Electrical issues with the lighting at the facility caused the first half to be played under one side of the field's sets of lights. An extended halftime allowed for all the lights to be fixed for the second half.

The Crimson Tide registered the first goal of the contest near the 10-minute mark after a shot by UA was deflected by Jax State goalkeeper Morgan Lerch and netted by Felicia Knox on the rebound. UA pushed the deficit to 2-0 in the final minute of the opening 45 minutes with an unassisted goal by Macy Clem.

After nearly close to an hour delay at halftime, 'Bama quickly extended its lead in the opening minute of the second half to 3-0 after Ashlynn Serepca's goal in the 46th minute. The Crimson Tide capped off the scoring with a goal by Leah Kunde in the 67th minute.

"I was disappointed in the first half because we lost our shape a little bit," said head coach Neil Macdonald. "We got caught pressing high and not keeping our discipline. I thought our second half performance was really solid, but at that pint when you are down at that point it was tough to get back in it but I thought we were much more solid in the second half."

UA finished with 25 total shots, while limiting JSU to five on the evening. Lerch finished with nine saves which is one off her career high of 10 stops against Samford during the 2018 season. Freshman Kylie Wells, who paced the Gamecocks in total shots last season, finished with a pair of shots. Sophomore Cynthia Bagozzi, junior Ali Thomas and junior Reilly Kucko added attempts on the night.

"Hopefully we can turn this into a positive after learning some things about ourselves," added Macdonald. "It is an opportunity for us to show some improvement. Everything about that Alabama team is special."

The Gamecocks will host Jackson State on Sunday, August 22 at the JSU Soccer Field for their home opener. Match time is set for 1 p.m. Admission is free to all home JSU soccer matches. The contest will also be streamed on ESPN+. The Lady Tigers of JSU dropped a 3-0 decision to McNeese State on Thursday night.

"All credit to our girls for the commitment and if we can correct some things going forward, we have a really good chance to be good."

For more information on the JSU soccer team, follow the Gamecocks on Twitter (@JSUGamecocksSOC). For more on all Gamecocks sports teams, follow the official social media accounts of JSU Athletics on Twitter (@JSUGamecocks), Facebook (Facebook.com/JSUGamecocks), Instagram (@JSUGamecocks) and Snapchat (@JSUGamecocks).