AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) - In search of their first SEC victory of the year, the Auburn Tigers (5-3-5, 1-3-1) defeated the Kentucky Wildcats (7-6, 0-5) by a score of 3-1 at Bell Stadium Thursday night.
Anna Haddock got the scoring started early for the Tigers in only the 17th minute. Olivia Candelino and Grace Sklopan created space, allowing Haddock to fire a shot from 30 yards out and find the back of the net. This gave Haddock her 3rd goal of the year, which now ties Maddie Simpson for most of the team.
"It felt really great to be back in my home state in front of friends and family and get the win," Haddock said. "We played some really good soccer tonight, giving us some vital momentum that we need moving forward. I can't wait for everyone to keep building and fighting for each other."
Kentucky dominated the corner kick battle tonight by having seven corners, compared to Auburn'sAuburn's mere two. The Wildcats were able to covert on one of these many corners in the 26th minute by way of a shot from Maggy Henschler that deflected off Auburn defender M.E. Craven.
The Tigers' defense would hold steady for the rest of the game, not allowing much for the Wildcats' offense to feed off. Maddie Prohaska once again anchored the defense, netting three saves on the night. Auburn has yet to give up more than one goal to any opponent this year, which shows how great this defense has been despite losing close matchups.
Heading into the break, the Tigers and Wildcats were locked in a catfight tied at one apiece.
Through the first half, both squads were matched evenly at seven shots each before Auburn would go on an impressive run in the second half to make that margin fourteen to ten by the end of the night.
Coming out of halftime, Auburn switched it up to another gear. Anna Haddock continued her dominant performance by notching the game-winning assist to M.E. Craven. In the 66th minute, Haddock found Craven from a long free kick where she headed it into the back of the net.
"I was so excited when I saw the opportunity for the goal because I have really been working on my attacking headers," Craven said. "It was nice to finally put one away. Shoutout to Anna (Haddock) because her ball was perfectly placed."
Kentucky goalie Tallulah Miller was forced to come out of the game after M.E. Craven's goal due to an apparent injury suffered on the play. The Wildcats turned to senior Steph Stull. The goalie had only played 13 minutes so far this year, so it defiantly boasted a problem for the Kentucky defense.
Sabrina McNeil recognized the switch in goal for Kentucky and took full advantage.
McNeil would cause the third and final goal of the night after she hit a hard cross across the box, which Kentucky defender Maggy Henschler mistakenly hit into her own net while attempting to clear the ball.
"This was a huge result on the road for our team tonight," Tigers head coach Karen Hoppa said. "I'm so proud of how they've continued to develop despite not getting the results. It's great to see us put all the pieces together and earn a massive three points in the league standings."
Auburn capitalized off an impressive night where nine different players recorded shots. Anna Haddock led the squad with three, while forwards Sydney Richards and Olivia Candelino and defender M.E. Craven notched two shots a piece.
"This was a game we really needed, and it's a huge confidence boost. We're going to look to keep the streak going on Sunday," game-winning goal scorer M.E. Craven added.
The Tigers will look to keep momentum on their side and capture a second straight SEC win against Mississippi State (9-1-3, 3-1-1). Auburn will host the matchup at the Auburn Soccer Complex, where kickoff is scheduled for this Sunday, October 9th, at 2 p.m. CT.
