The Auburn Tigers Soccer team (10-8-3) ended its run in the Southeastern Conference Tournament Friday with a 1-0 loss against Louisiana State University (14-4-3) in the semifinals.
"LSU is a great team so we knew we had to compete at the highest level," said sophomore midfielder Katy Frierson. "We competed with them, but, at the end of the day, they had that one goal that made the difference."
The Auburn attack was led by senior forward Rebecca Howell's six shots.
Howell took three shots in the first half, one of which was on goal.
Both Auburn and LSU had similar statistics.
Auburn had 12 shots total, while LSU had 16.
LSU sophomore goalkeeper Mo Isom had six saves and helped seal the win when she made a sliding stop to grab the ball from Auburn's sophomore forward Heather Havron, in the 87th minute of the game.
"Isom had some great saves," said head coach Karen Hoppa. "Unfortunately, we let one in and lost."
Hoppa told the team she was proud of the way they played and to meet at her house Monday to watch the NCAA Soccer Selection show to see if they got a bid.
"The season has been one of ups and downs for us," Hoppa said. "I've been pleased with our play the last three weeks, and I think our RPI and quality of wins are good enough for a bid."
The Tigers received a bid Monday night and will play the University of California Golden Bears (10-8-1) in the first round in Tallahassee.
"These last six or seven games, we have played great soccer," Hoppa said Monday night in a press release. "We feel like we are peaking at the right time of year, and we are excited to play again on Friday night."
The bid is the Tigers' eighth overall, and they play in Tallahassee in the postseason for the fourth time in eight appearances, having been there in 2002, 2003 and 2006.
The last time Auburn went to Tallahassee, the Tigers lost to California 3-1 in the first round.
Auburn plays its first game at 7 p.m. EDT Friday against the winner of the Florida State (16-4-1) vs. Southeastern Louisiana (13-4-2) game.
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