Nov. 4, 2015
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ORANGE BEACH, Ala. - Sophomore Ellie Leek couldn't have picked a better time to score her first goal of the season Wednesday night, scoring the equalizer in the 76th minute to complete a two-goal Auburn comeback and then hitting the winning penalty kick for the Tigers in the shootout to defeat No. 16 South Carolina and help the Auburn soccer team advance to the semifinals of the 2015 SEC Tournament.
Auburn was down 2-0 after 60 minutes of play and South Carolina seemed to have all the momentum, but the Tigers began to chip away in the 61st minute on a Kristen Dodson goal, her fourth of the year. Followed by Leek's goal just 14 minutes later. On the equalizing goal, Leek buried a one-timer from the left side of the box into the top corner of the net after great passes from Brooke Ramsier and touch from Logan Beal.
The win for Auburn is its first in the SEC Tournament since defeating LSU as the 10-seed before losing in the quarterfinals. Friday will be Auburn's first appearance in the tournament semifinals since 2012 when Auburn reached the final, which was also the same year that Auburn last had a match go into penalties.
"Our team has dealt with adversity all year long," Auburn head coach Karen Hoppa said. "South Carolina is a great side. They finished their chances early to go up 2-0, but a credit to our team and its character. They never quit. They fought back and battled together and found a way to survive and advance. When it's tournament time, that's all that matters."
Auburn advances to play top-seeded Florida on Friday in the tournament semifinals at 3:30 p.m. at the Orange Beach Sportsplex. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.
After the Gamecocks had the 2-0 lead after goals from Anna Conklin and Simone Wark, the Auburn defense dug deep and rarely let a good look come through for the remainder of regulation and overtime. Only five shots were put on by South Carolina in the second 45 minutes, but four were on target as the one goal by Wark got by redshirt freshman Sarah Le Beau.
One minute after South Carolina's second goal, Auburn was able to respond as Dodson battled for a ball on the end line before finding Brooke Ramsier near the top of the box. Ramsier tried a shot, but a deflection took it back to Dodson's feet near the right post. Dodson' finished with the left foot to bring Auburn within one.
Auburn ended up with 18 shots on the night, eight coming in the first half where the Tigers looked in control from the first whistle. However, South Carolina's was still able to take the early lead on Conklin's goal, forcing the Tigers to play from behind in the second half.
"I thought we played great in the first half," Hoppa said. "It was one of those games again where we didn't have the quality in front of the net and South Carolina scored on a counter so I told them we have to stick to the game plan and do what we can to be better in the final third. The girls took care of business."
Le Beau ended up with five saves on the night through 110 minutes of play and forced the one miss by South Carolina in penalties. After Auburn's Courtney Schell scored on the first PK, South Carolina's Sophie Groff missed wide right on her kick and gave Auburn the one-up advantage the rest of the way.
Auburn advances to play fifth-ranked Florida Friday night in the SEC Tournament semifinals at 3:30 pm at the Orange Beach Sportsplex. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.
For more information on Auburn soccer, visit AuburnTigers.com, follow the team on Twitter, @AuburnSoccer or follow them on Facebook at Facebook.com/AuburnSoccer.