AUBURN, Ala. — For the first time since 2003, Auburn soccer completed the regular season without a single loss on home turf as the No. 13 Tigers finished the year 8-0-3 at the Auburn Soccer Complex with a 2-2 draw against Georgia Thursday night.
Auburn found its goals from seniors Anna Haddock and Mallory Mooney in minutes 13 and 71, but a final-minute score from the Bulldogs was enough to send both squads away with one point and the draw.
“Disappointing, but we’ll learn a lot,” Tigers head coach Karen Hoppa said. “Georgia is a great team. Really, really unfortunate to give up the late goal, but we have no choice but to learn from it. That was every bit the feel of a playoff game. With postseason around the corner, that’s how it’s going to be from here on out. We’ve got to be better moving forward.”
Georgia struck first with a goal from Nicole Vernis in the second minute of the match, marking the earliest the Tigers’ have conceded so far this season.
Auburn settled in, found its rhythm and a response a little over 10 minutes later off the boot of Haddock. Senior Becky Contreras played a ball into space for junior Shelby Sallee to make a run right at the Bulldogs’ center backs. Sallee flicked off her to her right just outside the box where Haddock corralled the pass and found a sliver of a window for a dynamite finish tucked into the low far post.
Following the kickoff seconds later, Mooney made a highlight-worthy save off the goal line to prevent Georgia from quickly retaking the lead.
Thanks to Mooney’s clutch stop, both sides went into halftime squared away at one-all.
To start the second half, both sides fired off a handful of threatening shots, but it was a penalty kick in the 71st minute that saw the score change once more. Sophomore Dylan Driver was knocked over in the box, resulting in Auburn’s second awarded penalty of the season.
Mooney stepped to the spot and tucked away her third goal of the season on a perfectly placed shot into the lower left-hand corner. It was the first penalty goal of her career.
“I knew it was going in before I even took it,” Mooney said. “I’d prepared for that moment. I picked my spot and I hit it hard.
A heart-wrenching second goal from Vernis in the final 25 seconds of the match denied Auburn the win.
Statistically, both sides got off 10 shots and placed seven on frame. Haddock, Mooney and senior Sydnie Thibodaux each accounted for two shots apiece. Senior Maddie Prohaska made three saves to bring her career tally to 283.
Up next, Auburn heads to Columbia, South Carolina for the regular season finale with the No. 22 Gamecocks. Kickoff from Stone Stadium is set for 3 p.m. CT on Sunday, Oct. 27.