OXFORD, Miss. – It took overtime to decide the winner, but Auburn ultimately fell to Ole Miss, 1-0, Sunday afternoon in Oxford, Mississippi.
The loss was the first of conference play for the Tigers (5-4-2, 2-1-0 SEC), while Ole Miss (7-2-2, 1-0-2 SEC) picked up its first win of the SEC season. It marked Auburn's first overtime loss of the season.
"I'm really proud of the team," head coach Karen Hoppa said. "They gave everything they had. They did everything they could. We just couldn't get one of our looks to fall. Credit to Ole Miss. They capitalized when it mattered."
The Tigers and Rebels battled for 95 minutes before Ole Miss ended the contest with a goal by Channing Foster midway through the first overtime.
The goal was the first conceded by Auburn since the fourth minute of the SEC opener at Kentucky, a span of more than 395 minutes.
"The defense was outstanding," Hoppa added. "They never let Ole Miss get behind us. Kate Hart managed the game really well. We really did a good job limiting the quality opportunities for Ole Miss."
Auburn threatened to start the scoring in the contest midway through the first half. Kori Locksley made a push up the right side but her cross to Jesse Gerow, who found herself in space in front of the net, was just outside the reach of the senior forward.
Still tied 0-0 in the 82nd minute, Sydney Richards nearly netted the game-winner as she found herself behind the Ole Miss back line. However, her shot from the top left corner of the six-yard box skipped just wide of the far right post.
The match remained scoreless through the end of regulation, marking Auburn's fourth overtime contest of the season, all coming in the last five matches.
After Locksley played a cross and hit a shot from distance just high in the first five minutes of overtime, Ole Miss ended the match on the aforementioned goal by Foster.
"It's a short turnaround," Hoppa said of the upcoming contest. "We're going to go home tonight and a lot of this week is going to be about getting mentally and physically recovered and ready to play at home again."
Auburn continues SEC play with a contest against LSU (2-7-2, 0-2-1 SEC) Thursday. Kickoff at the Auburn Soccer Complex is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.