Nov. 5, 2014
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ORANGE BEACH, Ala. - A late comeback for the Auburn Tiger soccer team wasn't enough Wednesday as No. 20 Kentucky defeated Auburn 2-1 in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals, finishing Auburn's tournament run.
The loss drops the Tigers' overall record to 11-6-3 as they will now await their fate in hopes of hearing their name called on Monday during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show. The show is scheduled to air at 4:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.
The Wildcats took a quick 2-0 lead in the first 13 minutes of play, one coming off an Auburn own goal, but Auburn was able to make the second-half adjustments and cut the lead to 2-1 in the 65th minute.
"Obviously, we had a really slow start and Kentucky came out flying," Auburn head coach Karen Hoppa said. "We gave up two goals that were uncharacteristic for us, but I was really pleased with how my team responded. I thought after the first 15 minutes, we started solving their pressure and I thought we really dominated the match. In the second half, we had them pinned in and on their heels and we were unfortunate to not get the second goal."
Freshman Courtney Schell netted her fourth goal of the season with a laser shot from well outside the box. Kentucky goalkeeper Taylor Braun nearly tipped it over the crossbar, but the ball stayed in and trickled over the goal line, cutting the Wildcat lead in half.
Schell now joins three other Tigers with four goals on the season, which is the team-high. Schell's goal was her only shot of the match as she finished the match with 31 minutes of play.
Kentucky jumped out in front right away, taking a 1-0 lead in the ninth minute by way of an Auburn own goal. As UK sent a cross into the box, it looked as if Jade Klump sent the one-timer into the net. However, Auburn, trying to make a clear, couldn't get it away from the goal and allowed it to go in for the goal.
Only four minutes later, Kentucky scored again to double its advantage, this time from Kelli Hubly from the edge of the 18-yard mark. Auburn's defense was late to get back on the play and allowed the Wildcats to take the two-goal advantage.
After the quick strikes from Kentucky, Auburn's defense held strong for the remainder of the first half and into the second half. Auburn had six of its nine shots in the second half alone, with two finding the target.
Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Alyse Scott was on point as well in the second half, making four saves on Kentucky's seven shots as was able to keep the Wildcat offense at bay through the entire second period.
Offensively, Auburn came out flying in the second half and seemed to hold Kentucky in check, taking control of any offensive opportunity in front of them.
Auburn had multiple chances in its attacking zone, including one from Ellie Leek, midway through the second half. After a great individual effort from Kristen Dodson, Leek stayed onside and made the slight hesitation to get the shot from 6 yards out, but the kick was less than a foot wide to the left.
"We've got a great group and they play hard right until the end. They went down swinging and I'm really proud of our second half."
Auburn will now be looking to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012 and will wait to hear its name during the NCAA Selection Show on Monday at 4:30 p.m. The show is scheduled to be seen on NCAA.com.
"We've had a really good season as a team where we've gotten better as the season has gone on," Hoppa said. "We've certainly done enough to get in the NCAA Tournament and we're going to start preparing for the first round."
For more information on Auburn soccer, visit AuburnTigers.com, follow the team on Twitter, @AuburnSoccer or follow them on Facebook at Facebook.com/AuburnSoccer.