TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 19 Auburn dropped a hard-fought contest at Alabama, 1-0, Thursday at the Alabama Soccer Stadium.
The two teams held each other scoreless for the majority of the match, but Alabama (10-8-1, 5-4-1 SEC) scored a goal in the 82nd minute that proved to be the difference.
"The bottom line is we just didn't play as well as we're capable of playing," head coach Karen Hoppa said. "A lot of that is credit to Alabama. They played a great game. We had plenty of good looks but just couldn't finish or get them on frame. That's something we've got to solve before tournament play."
Despite the loss, the Tigers (11-5-1, 5-4-1 SEC) earned the fifth seed and a first-round bye in the SEC Tournament.
"It's huge," Hoppa said of the first-round bye. "I'm really proud of this team to earn that bye. It's massive to put you in the best position possible to try to win the tournament."
Auburn outshot Alabama, 16-14, in the contest but was only able to put four of its shots on frame. Anna Haddock led the way with four shots, while Hannah Waesch fired off three.
On the other end, Maddie Prohaska stood strong in net, making five saves and coming off her line to control a number of corners and free kicks, before the game-winner found the back of the net.
Prohaska make a pair of big saves in the first 12 minutes of the game, one on the ground and the other in the air, to keep it scoreless and ultimately tallied four saves in the first half.
The Tigers had a pair of dangerous offensive chances at the 30-minute mark and nearly took the lead in the final seconds of the first half. Maddie Simpson struck a one-timer with the right foot with 10 seconds left, but the Alabama goalkeeper made a tip save over the crossbar.
Auburn came out aggressive to start the second stanza with Sydney Richards making runs up the left flank and firing far post, but a pair of shots were just wide of net.
The Tigers best chance came in the 77th minute when Anna Haddock played a through ball to Marissa Arias near post, but the sliding flick deflected off the post and went out of bounds.
Sixteen players saw action in the contest, including six who played all 90 minutes.
Auburn will begin its 21st straight appearance in the SEC Tournament against fourth-seeded South Carolina (11-5-1, 6-3-1 SEC) Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. CT in Orange Beach, Alabama.