Auburn soccer found itself in familiar territory on Sunday as it entered double overtime against Georgia in the second round of the SEC Tournament.
When the Tigers needed a hero, freshman midfielder Mallory Mooney scored in the opening seconds of double overtime to advance the Tigers by a score of 2-1.
Mooney’s goal was the first of her career and propelled Auburn into the SEC Tournament quarterfinals for the first time since 2016.
“All season we’ve been talking about making the far-post run, the near-post run,” Mooney said. “I saw Alyssa [Malonson] running down the sideline. She dribbled right past the girl. I knew this was my chance to make the far-post run and I made it. Just an easy, tap-in goal for the win.”
Setting up the goal was Alyssa Malonson, who was excited to help her team stay alive in the tournament.
“It feels amazing,” Malonson said. “We’ve been waiting for a moment like this the whole time we’ve been at Auburn, and I’m so excited to move on and be able to stay at the beach for another couple of days.”
The season started back on Sept. 18 with a goal from Sydney Richards against Mississippi State, and it was Richards who got things started for Auburn early in the tournament.
In the ninth minute of the game, Richards found the net courtesy of a cross from Malonson and got the Tigers on the board early.
Georgia responded with a goal of its own in the 26th minute as Abby Boyan snuck one past a diving Maddie Prohaska.
In the end, it was the Tigers that came out on top.
“I’m really proud of the girls,” said head coach Karen Hoppa. “I thought we did a good job growing into the game. I thought we were better in the second half than we were in the first half. We obviously created a lot of opportunities and finally got one right at the beginning of the second overtime.”
The freshman hero shared similar sentiments.
“We fought through the whole game,” Mooney said. “It was a hard match. Georgia is a really good team. We played them already once this season and got the win, and it’s always hard to beat the same team twice. We knew we had to come out and fight, put everything on the line.”
The defense has been the key to Auburn’s success all season long, as the Tigers came into the game second-best in the SEC in goals allowed.
“I thought all three back were outstanding,” Hoppa said. “They did a great job. Georgia is a very dangerous attack, and I thought our defenders were outstanding, Maddie Prohaska as well. Only giving up one goal in tournament time is really good, and I’m proud of our defensive effort tonight.”
The Tigers now turn their attention to a match with top-seeded Arkansas on Tuesday at 5 p.m. CST. The game will be on SEC Network.
Hoppa and the Tigers are hoping for a different outcome on Tuesday after losing on the road 2-1 to Arkansas during the regular season.
“We’re excited about the opportunity,” Hoppa said. “They’re the best team in the league and that’s what you play for in tournaments, is to earn that opportunity to play the best.”
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