PENSACOLA, Fla. - Auburn’s 2023 soccer season ends in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals after a tough 4-0 loss against the No. 1 seed Arkansas.
Going into the game, Arkansas led the SEC in goals scored per game and total and tonight, the Razorbacks’ offense demonstrated why they are the leaders, tripling the Tigers’ shots, having 22 total and Auburn having seven.
Moreover, Arkansas had 10 shots on goal compared to Auburn’s two.
"It was a tall task to take on the top seed with significantly less rest, but our girls battled hard for all of it," Tigers head coach Karen Hoppa said. "We had a few dangerous chances, and if we put those away, it's a totally different story. I'm proud of how we grew and finished down the stretch. I think our resume is a great candidate for the (NCAA) tournament."
Arkansas’ Bea Franklin, SEC Midfielder of the Year and SEC leader in assists, picked up both an assist and goal off of a corner kick, heading the ball and ricocheting off of an Auburn defender into the goal to make it 2-0 in the 34th minute.
Two Razorbacks both achieved goal-scoring accomplishments; Anna Podjil scored the 50th goal of her career and Kate Carter received her first career goal.
Auburn goalie Maddie Prohaska had six saves against the striking Arkansas offense and battled the whole 90 minutes.
The Tigers’ seven shots were generated from redshirt senior Becky Contreras, junior LJ Knox, fifth year Sydney Richards and senior Maddie Simpson. The two on-frame shots came from Contreras and Knox.
The Tigers finish their 2023 season 8-7-5(3-4-3), improving from their 6-6-6(2-6-2) 2022 season, where they missed the tournament, finishing last in the SEC West.
Their NCAA Tournament fate is now determined by the NCAA Selection Committee and will be announced on Monday, Nov. 6, during their show. The Tigers stand 71st in the RPI.
For Arkansas, they advance to the Semifinals, where they will either play Mississippi State or Alabama, on Thursday, Nov. 2.
