AUBURN, Ala. — Playing toe-to-toe with the No. 1 team in the country, Auburn soccer traded blows with Alabama in a scoreless draw for 86 minutes, but it was the Tide who was able to find the back of the net in the 87th minute to seal the victory.
"We played great," Tigers head coach Karen Hoppa said. "They left everything they had on the field. We were just missing that same piece we've been missing all year — we just couldn't finish. We had plenty of chances, quality chances, and we couldn't finish. Unfortunately, we gave up that goal late, but a tie wouldn't have helped us. We had to win."
With the loss to the Crimson Tide (17-1-1, 10-0-0), Auburn (6-6-6, 2-6-2) sees its SEC Tournament hopes diminished for the first time since the 2000 season. The fate of the Tigers' season will be revealed with the NCAA Selection Show set for Monday, Nov. 7 at 2:30 p.m. CT.
In the opening half, it was the Tigers controlling the offensive pace as they outmatched the opponent 5-4 on shots with the best chance coming in the 30th minute from Carly Thatcher. The sophomore received service via graduate student Grace Sklopan from the far-right edge of the penalty box for a header aimed at the crossbar, however, Alabama's McKinley Crone made the leap to stick the save.
Auburn goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska was also tested in the first half, facing a straight-on shot from Riley Tanner 90 seconds into the match, but Prohaska held steady to collect the first of what would be five saves on the night.
Coming out of the half, Auburn continued to impress on both ends of the ball, rattling off seven more shots, including a pair stuck on frame from junior Anna Haddock, and stifling the Crimson Tide attack, not allowing a look on-net for the first 35 minutes of the half.
Haddock first struck in the 53rd minute following another solid pass from Sklopan. The Bowling Green, Kentucky product ripped a rocket from 35-yards out that was stuffed at the feet of Crone.
After senior Sydney Richards created a corner kick for the Tigers in the 57th minute, Haddock and junior Hannah Waesch seized the opportunity to run the short corner, allowing Haddock to get off a bending ball for a strike from the far-right corner of the penalty box that was just tipped high over the cross bar.
The game saw its first and only chance finished on in the 87th minute by way of the Tide's Riley Tanner who received service on the left side of the goal box for a header that ricocheted off the right post into the back of the Auburn net.
With a 0.72 goals against average for the year, the Tiger defense solidified the second-best mark in school history and the best since the 2003 season.
In the net, Prohaska also ties the second-best GAA by a keeper in a single season, matching All-American Megan Rivera's 0.74 set in 2004. Additionally, Prohaska records the seventh-best shutout total in a year with seven.