COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 23 Auburn (9-2-1, 1-2-1 SEC) faced a tough task on the road against No. 14 South Carolina (9-2-0, 3-1-0 SEC) and ultimately fell to the Gamecock, 3-1, Friday night at Stone Stadium.
The Tigers matched up in nearly every category including shots (12-13), corners (1-2) and saves (3-4), but ultimately came up short on the scoreboard against the two-time defending SEC champs.
"We did a lot of things really well," head coach Karen Hoppa said. "Credit to South Carolina. They made a lot of plays when they needed to on the goals, but I did not think it was a 3-0 game by any stretch. We had a lot of the possession in the second half, we just didn't capitalize."
The two teams traded chances to no avail in the opening minutes before South Carolina was the first to get on the scoreboard in the 17th minute of the contest. Selma Sol Hagnusdottir hit a right-footed strike from outside the 18-yard box and into the upper 90.
The score remained 1-0 heading into halftime, and the Auburn defense remained strong against the South Carolina attack as the Tigers looked for the equalizer coming out of intermission.
However, the Gamecocks were able to double their advantage on a second upper 90 goal in the 73rd minute before putting the match away with another goal on a defensive miscommunication just more than four minutes later.
"I told the team I think we can get a ton out of this 90 minutes," Hoppa said. "We need to grow from this game. South Carolina is coming off a College Cup performance last year, they're a top-15 team. We'll learn a ton from this game and will be better for it down the stretch."
Sixteen Tigers saw action in the contest, including six starters who played all 90 minutes.
Auburn remains on the road and takes on No. 5 Texas A&M (11-1-0, 2-1-0 SEC) Thursday at 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network. The Tigers then return home to take on Georgia (4-4-3, 1-1-1 SEC) Sunday at 2 p.m. on SEC Network+.
Auburn Hangs Tough, Falls Late at South Carolina
