Friday night, the Crimson Tide will step out onto the pitch at the Alabama Soccer Stadium for the final time this year as it takes on Western Carolina University in the first round of the 2023 NCAA tournament.
It’s the team’s third straight year qualifying for the Big Dance, the first time this has happened in program history. That’s an impressive feat for a squad that lost players such as fifth overall National Women’s Soccer League pick Reyna Reyes, all-time NCAA minutes leader McKinley Crone, and World Cup veteran Riley Tanner from last year’s team, according to “The Crimson White” website.
Ramadan grew up in Illinois, playing high school ball in Huntley, a suburb of Chicago.
There, she caught the eye of head coach Wes Hart, and in July 2022, she verbally committed to play for the Crimson Tide following her senior season.
Adjusting to Division I soccer can be challenging. Add in the fact that the SEC was the highest-ranked conference in the nation per ESPN’s rating percentage index and the fact that Alabama was ranked in the top 10 for most of its nonconference matchups, and it is easy to see why Ramadan did not get much playing time early in the season.
The freshman played over 40 minutes just one time in the team’s first 11 games, scoring her only goal in garbage time of a 5-1 win over Mercer.
In the SEC home opener against Vanderbilt, Ramadan notched her second career start in place of the injured Gianna Paul.
Although she did not score, Ramadan played an excellent 51 minutes as Alabama returned with a 1-0 victory.
She only took off from there.
Ramadan scored a late game-tying goal the next game against Kentucky, and although the Crimson Tide would ultimately lose 2-1, the value she provided to the team was now undeniable.
She then scored in the team’s next two home games, wins over Auburn and LSU.
“It was taking a bit from me in the beginning to fit in with the group,” Ramadan said following the LSU game. “Now I can recognize the moments where I can impact the game, and I’ve been finishing my chances.”
Her teammates love everything about the freshman’s emergence.
Ramadan, who was just named to the 2023 SEC All-Freshman Team, is not intimidated by the pressure of the upcoming NCAA tournament.
It pales in comparison with what she is used to.
Ramadan has spent the past four years as a member of the Egyptian women’s national team, first playing at the U-17 level before moving up to U-20.
She even captained a match for the U-17 team against Nigeria.
“Playing nationally against different countries is something I’m so grateful for,” Ramadan said. “It’s a unique experience that so many players can’t have. And it set me up to play at the college level.”
At just 18 years old, Ramadan had a lot of soccer left before her.
But there is one thing that will always be on her mind.
“I want to make it to the World Cup,” Ramadan said. “We want to keep going, and we want to make soccer in Egypt into something outstanding.”
There’s no telling how far Alabama will go in this year’s tournament. We do not know what the freshman will achieve in her time in Tuscaloosa, where she will go afterwards, or if she can get her country to the World Cup.
But we know that Nadia Ramadan has a promising road ahead of her.
