Nov. 4, 2013
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ORANGE BEACH, Ala. - The Auburn University soccer team got an overtime penalty kick goal from senior Bianca Sierra Monday night to advance past LSU in the first round of the SEC Tournament, 1-0. After going through a scoreless 90 minutes of play, Auburn went to its sixth overtime of the season, but was able to come out on top for the first time this year when Sierra netted the kick to extend Auburn's season and notch its fourth-straight win.
For Sierra, it's her first goal of the year and gives the Tigers their eighth tournament win over the last three seasons. The win also extends Auburn's undefeated streak to seven games as its record goes to 4-0-3 over the stretch since tying Georgia on Oct. 11. The win also pushes Auburn's overall record to 8-8-4 for the year and get the team back to .500 for the first time since Sept. 8 when Auburn defeated Troy, 3-0.
"We had actually been practicing PK's all week," Sierra said. "I knew it was going to come down to something crazy like that. I was ready for it and I knew what I had to do to get it done and I'm just proud of this team. We were knocking on the door all second half and there was no way we were going to come out of the overtime without putting one in the back of the net and I knew it was coming."
Auburn and LSU, which did not meet in the regular season, struggled to get any balls on the goal in the first half as only nine shots were totaled between both teams. However, in the second half, each team came out aggressively, especially Auburn. 11 shots were totaled in the second period by the Orange and Blue with four going on frame. Many of the shots came from junior Chelsea Gandy-Cromer, who provided a spark off the bench for Auburn, tallying five shots in the match with three going on frame
"We didn't think our first half was very good, but it was good enough to keep them off the board," Auburn head coach Karen Hoppa said. "We created some chances and knew if we could make some adjustments in the second half, we could create more chances and I thought we did that. I thought our midfield stepped up in the second half and was good on both sides of the ball.
Early in the overtime period, Gandy-Cromer nearly had the game-winner off a header just inside the top of the box, four minutes into the extra period. The shot nearly found the space behind the line in the top right corner of the net, but the LSU goalkeeper just brought it back for the huge save to keep it at zeroes.
Just minutes later, Auburn was, again, on the attack as freshman Casie Ramsier created a chance in the middle of the 18-yard box and was fouled on her shot attempt, giving Auburn the penalty kick opportunity. Sierra took the shot and wasn't even challenged as it pushed Auburn to the second round of the SEC Tournament. The shutout was Auburn's second in a row and tallied junior goalkeeper Alicen Wright's fifth win of the year and fourth in a row.
"Obviously, we made some changes in the back," Hoppa said. "Putting Kala Faulkner in the center-back and she has stepped her game up to a whole new level. She is certainly the leader back there, but all of them are playing terrific. With Kiana Clarke and Samantha Solaru being freshman, they are playing their best soccer right now. They've learned all season and have gotten better each match and now they're playing terrific. With those three and Kim Spence, the chemistry is there and a lot of the credit goes to Maddie Barnes playing right in front of them at midfield."
The Tigers now advance to the SEC Tournament quarterfinals and will face second-seeded Texas A&M on Wednesday at the Orange Beach Sportsplex at noon central time.
Wednesday's match will air on the SEC Digital Network. For those fans wanting to listen locally, can continue listening to WEGL 91.1 or online at AuburnTigers.com. Live video will also be available on the SEC Digital Network website.
For complete coverage on the Auburn soccer team, visit AuburnTigers.com, follow @AU_Soccer on Twitter and `like' the Auburn University Soccer page on Facebook.