Tigers to take on Arkansas in SEC Tournament quarterfinals

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Eric Glemser

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. – Eighth-seeded Auburn (4-3-2) is set to take on top-seeded Arkansas (7-1-0) in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals Tuesday at 5 p.m. CT in Orange Beach, Alabama.
 
The game will be played at the Orange Beach Sportsplex and will be broadcast on SEC Network.
 
STARTING XI
 
Auburn advanced to the SEC Tournament quarterfinals for the first time since 2016 with a 2-1 (2OT) win against Georgia Sunday.
 
Freshman Mallory Mooney scored the golden goal 14 seconds into the double overtime period to lift Auburn past the Bulldogs. The goal marked the first of Mooney's career.
 
Senior Alyssa Malonson assisted on both of Auburn's goals, matching the Tigers' SEC Tournament record. She is the first player to record two assists in a tournament game since 2015.
 
The game was Auburn's fifth overtime contest in 2020. The team is 3-0-2 in overtime games this season with four of them going to double overtime. 
 
The Tigers are 14-21-5 all-time at the SEC Tournament, including 12-16-4 under head coach Karen Hoppa and 10-14-4 in Orange Beach.
 
Auburn leads Arkansas 15-11-2 in the all-time series but has dropped five straight to the Razorbacks dating back to the 2016 SEC Tournament.
 
Tuesday marks the third meeting between the two teams in the SEC Tournament. Arkansas won the previous two meetings in 1993 and 2016.
 
A win against the Razorbacks would mark the team's first trip to the SEC Tournament semifinals since 2016 and the seventh semifinal appearance under Hoppa.
 
PLAYER TO WATCH: ALYSSA MALONSON

The senior midfielder has played a key role in Auburn's attack of late with a team-high five points on a goal and three assists in the last five contests. Having started every game since stepping foot on campus in 2017, Malonson ranks just outside of the top 10 in program history with 18 assists in her career.
 
SCOUTING ARKANSAS
 
Arkansas won its second straight SEC regular season championship in 2020.
 
Four Razorbacks rank in the top 10 in the league in points, including SEC Forward of the Year Anna Podojil, who is tied for first in assists and fourth in goals.
 
The Arkansas attack ranks top three in the conference in goals, assists and points.
 
The Razorbacks have also allowed the third fewest goals this season with eight against.
 
UP NEXT: SEC TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS
 
The winner of Tuesday's contest will advance to Thursday's semifinals and take on the winner of South Carolina and Missouri at 5 p.m. on SEC Network.