SEC Tournament Roundup: Late 1st-Half burst lifts Auburn past Tennessee, Kentucky wins in PKs
A roundup of first-round games of the 2023 SEC Tournament played on Sunday, Oct. 29 from the Ashton Brosnaham Soccer Complex.
No. 8 Auburn 2, No. 9 Tennessee 1
A pair of substitutes made their impact late in the first half to lift the Tigers to the quarterfinal round.
Redshirt senior midfielder Becky Contreras and junior defender Haley Duca provided the offense, as they each scored within a three-minute span to give Auburn a narrow victory over the Volunteers.
After Tennessee's Kameron Simmons started the scoring with an unassisted goal in the 17th minute, Contreras picked up the equalizer 21 minutes later.
Following a long clearance from Tigers senior goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska, Contreras outran the defense before heading the ball off a bounce. Tennessee goalkeeper Ally Zazzara got a glove on the header, but the ball trickled into the net.
Duca provided the game-winner in the 41st minute. After a Tigers corner kick was headed out of the box, the defender, without any pressure, skied a shot from about 25 yards from goal that floated past a diving Zazzarra and into the back of the net.
That 2-1 advantage would hold as Auburn fended off seven shots and three corner kicks in the second half.
Prohaska made both of her saves after halftime, first stopping a Brick Lindsey shot in the 82nd minute and then denying Sarah Greiner in the 85th minute.
Prior to the match, Tigers senior midfielder Anna Haddock was recognized as the SEC's soccer Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Improving to their record to 8-6-5 overall this season, the Tigers play top-seeded Arkansas at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Auburn earned a 2-1 victory over the sixth-ranked Razorbacks on Oct. 8.
Tennessee falls to 8-6-4.
No. 7 Kentucky 0, No. 10 LSU 0
Wildcats advance on PKs, 4-2
The opening match of the SEC Tournament was decided in penalty kicks after neither team could light the scoreboard following 110 minutes of action.
The fifth shooter in the lineup, Jordyn Rhodes delivered the winning tally as the Wildcats outlasted the Tigers. The graduate forward froze LSU goalkeeper Mollee Swift with a low shot to the left side of the net.
While Rhodes sealed the deal, Marz Josephson was the hero. Kentucky's graduated goalkeeper made a pair of saves during the shootout.
With her team up 2-1, Josephson smothered a shot from Mollie Baker. The Wildcats were unable to extend its lead on the next shooter, but the keeper came up huge once more, denying a shot from Jordan Johnson.
Maddie Eastman connected on her attempt to give UK its cushion before Rhodes ended the match.
With the victory, Kentucky (9-3-6) earns a quarterfinal date with No. 2 Georgia. The two teams will play at 12 p.m. Tuesday.
In their lone match of the regular season, the Bulldogs earn 1-0 win over the Wildcats on Oct. 19.
Tuesday's Matchups
No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 7 Kentucky, 12 p.m.
No. 3 South Carolina vs. No. 6 Texas A&M, 2:30 p.m.
No. 1 Arkansas vs. No. 8 Auburn, 5 p.m.
No. 4 Mississippi State at No. 5 Alabama, 7:30 p.m.
Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached at (772) 985-9692, on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: SEC Women's Soccer Tournament: Auburn, Kentucky advance in Pensacola
