Nov. 12, 2010
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Auburn soccer team saw its season come to an end on Friday night as it fell to South Florida, 3-1, in the first round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament in Tallahassee, Fla. The loss leaves Auburn with an 11-8-2 record for the season, the fifth consecutive 10-win season for head coach Karen Hoppa's squad.
"Overall this was a very competitive game and congratulations go to South Florida," Hoppa said. "The real difference in the game was they finished and we didn't. We had more opportunities, we had more time of possession and they scored on their opportunities and we didn't."
Auburn took 13 shots to seven for South Florida and put eight shots on frame compared to just five for South Florida (14-5-3). Auburn also drew four corner kicks while holding South Florida without any.
South Florida's Taylor Patterson registered the game's first shot and its first goal when she went opposite post on Auburn goalkeeper Amy Howard from 22 yards out to give South Florida a 1-0 lead in the 25th minute, a lead it would hold through halftime.
Monica Afanador's shot from the top of the 18 with 12 minutes left in the first half forced South Florida goalkeeper Nicole McClure into her first save, a diving save toward the upper 90. After making the stop she was unable to hold onto the ball leaving a wide open net for Tasha Prentice but her one-touch went high, keeping Auburn in a one-goal hole.
Auburn finished the half with four shots at the half while South Florida had just the one that resulted in the score.
Auburn tied it at 1-1 in the 52nd minute when Ana Cate crushed a free kick from two steps outside of the 18, knocking it off the underside of the crossbar and in. Jessica Rightmer set up the free kick when she drew a foul while attempting to get a shot off. The shot was the third of the match for Cate, who up to that point had taken half of Auburn's shots and finished the match with five, three of which went on frame.
"The whole game we were knocking on the door. We had shots, we had shots on goal and we had opportunities," Cate said. "We finally finished the one and that gave us a boost that we needed. Mentally, after we scored we thought we could do it. Right after that we had at least two or three good shots. If those go in it's a different game. If those go we are winning. If those go in all we have to do is hold the lead. Once we scored we just had to score another one and the difference is that they did and we didn't."
South Florida snapped the tie in the 62nd minute as Patterson got her second goal of the night. This time a little bit of luck was involved as her low shot took an odd bounce inside the six and skipped over a diving Howard, who finished the match with two saves.
South Florida put the game away in the 78th minute when Sharla Passariello banked in a shot off the post, giving it a 3-1 lead.