Oct. 21, 2010
AUBURN, Ala. - Tanya Emerson's golden goal in the 97th minute was the difference on Thursday night as Auburn fell to Tennessee, 1-0, in overtime at the Auburn Soccer Complex. The loss drops Auburn's record to 9-6-2, 3-4-2 SEC while Tennessee improved to 8-8-1, 5-3-1 SEC.
"Sports are kind of cruel sometimes. You can play great and not win," Auburn Head Coach Karen Hoppa said. "In soccer I think that happens a lot more than in other sports. We played great and we played good enough to win and unfortunately we didn't get it."
Auburn out-shot Tennessee, 14-12, including an 11-7 advantage in the second half and overtime but it was a Tennessee corner kick that signaled the end of the match.
"We had plenty of chances in that second half to win the game and we couldn't get one on frame. Unfortunately that makes it a really heartbreaking game because we played so well," Hoppa said.
Auburn had two good looks in the 63rd minute that would have put Auburn on top but Tennessee goalkeeper Molly Baird was able to stop Mary Nicholson's shot and then Mary Coffed's shot on the rebound went high. That was just a sampling of the pressure that Auburn put on Tennessee in an eight minute span without being able to tally the much-needed goal during an action-packed second half.
Tennessee, which had drawn five corners in regulation, drew two corners in overtime in consecutive minutes and the second resulted in the only score of the night. Emily Shore served in the corner, which was pushed out by the Auburn defense to an uncovered Emerson, who struck the ball at the top of the 18 for her first goal of the season.
The top team in the SEC in drawing corners, Auburn was awarded nine on Thursday night.
Each team finished with three shots on goal.
Auburn will play its final regular-season away match on Sunday at No. 20. The match is set to kick off at noon CT and will air live on SportSouth.