On Thursday, Oct. 5, the Auburn Tigers traveled to Tuscaloosa to face off against the No.19 Alabama Crimson Tide, the Tigers fell 2-1.
This game marked the Tigers second straight loss, putting them at 1-4-1 in SEC play.
The Crimson Tide started off the game with an early lead as in the eighth minute midfielder Namada Ramadan put the Tide up 1-0 over the Tigers. The goal was assisted by midfielder Isabel Smith.
For the next 30 minutes the game carried on with only three shots on goal, however, in the 37th minute, Auburn tied the game up after a sequence of deflected shots ended at the feet of Auburn forward Dylan Driver to tie the game 1-1.
The half ended with the game tied 1-1, however, Alabama controlled the majority of possession and outshot the Tigers 14-6, 10 of those shots having been on goal.
As the second half proceeded, the Tigers regained some control of possession and got three shots off. However, in the 85th minute, Alabama midfielder Felicia Knox cracked a shot from outside the box, giving the Tide a 2-1 lead. The goal, assisted by defender Bella Scaturro Bright, was the final goal of the game, leading to Alabama’s 2-1 victory and the fourth straight victory for the Crimson Tide against the Tigers.
The key players for the Tigers included Driver, who scored the only goal of the game for the Tigers.
Other key players included goalie Maddie Prohaska, who finished the game with 13 total saves. Along with Prohaska, forward Becky Contreras put two shots on goal and her attacking run led to the Drivers goal which came from a deflected shot from Contreras.
For the Crimson Tide, Knox put four shots on goal, including the game-winning goal for the Tide. Along with Knox, midfielder Ramadan scored the opening goal for the Crimson Tide and Smith assisted that goal.
This marks the second straight loss for the Tigers coming in the last five minutes of the game, as last Friday's game vs South Carolina was decided by a last-minute goal as well.
This loss puts the Tigers at 5-5-3 on the season and 1-3-1 in the last five games.
After this, the Tigers prepare for their final five SEC games, starting with a matchup at home on Sunday Oct. 8 vs No. 6 Arkansas. After that, the Tigers finish SEC play with games against Texas A&M, Florida, LSU and Georgia.
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Jack Earnhardt is a sports writer from Birmingham, Alabama, majoring in building science. He joined The Plainsman in fall 2023.
