The 2022 SEC tournament has arrived after a regular season that saw a team go perfect and teams that left their bid till the very last. 10 teams have made the venture to Pensacola, Florida in hopes of capturing the tournament title and bragging rights in the South East. Here is the guide to the SEC tournament and how each team booked their spot for the postseason.
No. 1 Alabama
The Tide are having a phenomenal year, claiming the program’s first regular season champions and accomplishing the first perfect SEC season since South Carolina in 2016, making them the team to beat. Alabama is equipped with the co-golden boot winner Riley Mattingly Parker who scored 12 goals in 18 matches.
The Tide have never won the SEC tournament before and must get over the regular season champions curse as no regular season champion has gone on to win the tournament in over seven years. Alabama will take on Mississippi State, which defeated Texas A&M in the first round.
No. 2 South Carolina
The Gamecocks had a strong finish to the regular season, earning a share of the SEC East title along with Tennessee. The side thought their SEC East title hopes were finished after suffering a late home defeat to Vanderbilt with just two games remaining.
Though a massive 6-1 win at Tennessee and a 2-0 win against Missouri on the final day saw South Carolina claim the second seed going into the tournament, South Carolina and Tennessee were split based on the head-to-head result.
Out of the 10 teams going to Pensacola, the Gamecocks have conceded the least amount of goals, only conceding 10 goals in 18 games. South Carolina will face Ole Miss, which defeated LSU in the first round.
No. 4 Arkansas
Arkansas comes into the tournament off a 6-0 win over Kentucky on Sunday, the program’s largest SEC victory since 1999. This snapped the sides’ three-game winless streak and provided the Razorbacks with a much-needed confidence boost heading into the tournament.
The side has made numerous appearances in the tournament throughout the years but is still searching for that lucrative title. The Razorbacks were the SEC East regular season champions last season but couldn’t repeat that dominance this season. The side will face Vanderbilt for the second time this season in the quarterfinals on Tuesday with Arkansas winning the earlier encounter 3-0.
No. 5 Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt will be hoping for a reset when it gets under on Tuesday after dropping the SEC East title on the final day. The Commodores were in pole positions to win the East, just needing a win at Tennessee to lock up their fourth division title.
However, a 2-0 loss there and a South Carolina victory saw Vanderbilt drop to third in the final standings. Though the side has tasted recent success in the tournament, winning it in 2020. The Commodores do have the better record against Arkansas but must shake off their failings in the previous two meetings.
No. 6 Georgia
Georgia had one of the few games that did not have any tournament implications on the final day. The Bulldogs drew 1-1 against Mississippi State with both sides having already secured their spot in Pensacola.
Georgia is currently four games undefeated with the side closing out the regular season with wins against Missouri, Ole Miss and Kentucky. Georgia will hope to extend that streak to five against Tennessee though the Bulldogs have only won three of the previous 15 matches against the Lady Vols.
No. 7 LSU
LSU had a good start to SEC play with three wins out of five though three consecutive games of 0-0 results saw the Tigers miss out on a first-round bye. LSU’s tournament run came to an end early in the first round as the Tigers lost to Ole Miss.
No. 8 Mississippi St
Mississippi State missed out on securing a first-round bye after drawing against Georgia on the final day. Already through to the tournament the Bulldogs were not stressing about that scenario but would have preferred a first-round bye.
The side has struggled to score goals when they have needed it as they have only scored 24 goals throughout the regular season which is the least amongst the top 10 teams. Mississippi State, only in their fifth SEC tournament, faced Texas A&M in the first round on Sunday, defeating the Aggies and moving on to face Alabama.
No. 9 Texas A&M
The Aggies were one of two teams that booked their ticket to Pensacola on the final day. Texas A&M played last-place Florida on the final day, beating them 4-1. The Aggies are on a red-hot run coming into the tournament with the team undefeated throughout October after starting SEC play with four straight losses.
Malie Hayes will be a key player for the Aggies with the striker in fine form, scoring seven goals in the last five games. Texas A&M lost in the first round to Mississippi State Sunday.
No. 10 Ole Miss
Ole Miss was the last team to qualify for the tournament, waiting till the final whistle in Alabama vs Auburn game to see if they would qualify for their eighth-consecutive SEC tournament. Having not secured their spot before the final day, a win against LSU would have secured a spot for the Rebels.
After losing 4-1, they had to patiently wait to see the result in the Iron Bowl. A win for Auburn would have left Ole Miss out of the tournament but a late Alabama winner meant Ole Miss could pack their bags for Pensacola. The side, who was undefeated when they came up against Tennessee in late September, has not won a game throughout October, with their only result coming in the form of a 0-0 draw against Arkansas. Ole Miss dropped its first round game to LSU.
