Seeded in the No. 4 spot, the 19th-ranked Auburn soccer team advanced to semifinal play Friday in the SEC tournament but was unable to defeat the Florida Gators, falling 2-0 at the Orange Beach Sportsplex.
Christen Westphal and Savannah Jordan were keys for the Gators, scoring within the first 18 minutes of the match. Auburn fought back but was unable to answer the two goals.
"We came out a little bit flat in the first half," said coach Karen Hoppa. "We got unlucky in the second half. Our girls really went after it in the second half, and I was proud of our fight and we gave ourselves a chance."
The Tigers came back in the second half to control the ball offensively, but were unable to capitalize. Auburn posted seven shots in the second half compared to the one put up by Florida. Juniors Brooke and Casie Ramsier were pushing hard in the midfield to create opportunity for the Tigers, but the Gators were able to clear their attempts each time.
"We have a relatively young team, but now they have some tournament experience," Hoppa said. "We're going to learn a lot from a lot this week and carry that into the NCAA Tournament."
Now 14-5-1 on the year, Auburn still has the second most wins in a single-season in program history. The Tigers will know their spot in the NCAA Tournament Monday at 3:30 p.m.
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