After having to wait until the final day of the regular season to learn its SEC Tournament fate, No. 8 seed Auburn took down the No. 9 seed Tennessee Lady Volunteers 2-1 in the first round to advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Tennessee struck first in the 17th minute of the game with a goal from Kameron Simmonds, putting pressure on Auburn early in the contest.
Auburn responded with Becky Contreras’s first goal of the season. She equalized the game in the 38th minute, assisted by goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska, the first goalkeeper for Auburn to do so since 2014.
“I saw her (Prohaska) ball going further than her normal balls do, and I knew I had to turn it on and run for it,” Contreras said. “I made the decision to head it, and it worked out for us. It was truly a special moment for me to come up big for my team and get my first goal here at Auburn.”
Contreras wasn’t the only Tiger to score her first goal of the season as junior Haley Duca found the back of the net in the 41st minute of the game. Duca, who has come off the bench in every game, came up big when Auburn needed it most to give the Tigers a lead they would not relinquish.
“It meant everything to me to score in that moment with my Auburn family on the bench and the field and my real family in the stands,” Duca said. “I always joke about scoring, but for me to actually get one in the SEC Tournament was a dream come true.”
Both teams put together an impressive second-half defensive performance, keeping the game within reach for the Volunteers. But Auburn managed to limit Tennessee to three shots on goal and had two saves from Prohaska.
“I’m so proud of the way we responded and the way we grew into that game,” said head coach Karen Hoppa. “We gave up an early goal, but we didn’t get down about it. I always tell them that this is a game of mistakes. They happen. What matters is what you do after them, and boy, did we put up a response. We’re glad to be here and to keep working toward securing our postseason.”
Auburn returns to the second round of the SEC tournament for the first time since 2021, when it earned a 2-1 victory over South Carolina in the first round. Like the 2021 tournament, Auburn will face Arkansas in the quarterfinals. Auburn’s SEC Tournament run ended with a 5-1 loss to Arkansas in 2021.
The conference's top-seeded Razorbacks suffered their only conference loss of the season in a 2-1 contest at Auburn. The regular-season win marked the Tigers' first win over the Razorbacks in nine games, with the last win in 2016.
With the win over Tennessee, Auburn improved to 8-6-5 on the season, while Tennessee fell to 8-6-4. Having earned a bye, the Razorbacks will seek revenge on the Tigers. The game is set to kick off Tuesday, Oct. 31, at 5 p.m. CT and will be on SEC Network.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Craig Noyes is a junior from Kensington, Maryland, majoring in journalism. He joined The Plainsman in January 2023.
Twitter: @craignoyes58
