Florida Soccer Ties No. 25 Auburn Despite Late Red Card
In its penultimate regular-season match, Florida returned home with crucial conference points and a potential SEC Tournament bid at stake.
No. 25 Auburn was the first of two matches that could punch the Gators’ ticket. The Tigers struck first, Florida answered about 10 minutes later, and neither side found another breakthrough. Then, with less than three minutes left, Florida’s Lena Bailey was sent off.
Florida (6-6-4, 2-4-3 SEC) held on with 10 players for a 1-1 draw Thursday, but the senior forward’s red card for violent conduct in the 88th minute turned a gritty point into a costly one heading into the regular-season finale.
Florida’s lineup had a notable change before the opening whistle. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Paloma Peña started over usual starter Jayden Emmanuel, her first start for the Gators since their 3-2 win over Coastal Carolina on Aug. 20.
Florida looked for an early goal. Iori Watanabe picked out Zoe Main in behind the defense. With a defender closing and a one-on-one chance looming, Main released a low shot, but it was blocked in the 6-yard box.
Auburn responded five minutes later. Dylan Driver, the Tigers’ leader in goals and points, found herself on the end of a counterattack, but Florida midfielder Mia Gray recovered to deflect her close-range shot and clear the danger.
In the 20th minute, Florida surrendered the first goal of the match on Auburn’s first shot on target. With a defender at her back, Hannah Bell laid the ball off near the penalty spot for Jordyn Crosby, who tucked away a half-volley past Peña.
Bailey nearly leveled the match a few plays later. In the 23rd minute, Main outpaced her defender on the right flank and served Bailey only yards from the goal. Bailey couldn’t find her footing, and the ball rolled into the hands of Auburn goalkeeper Ayana Yapo.
Freshman midfielder Courtney Hogan got the equalizer eight minutes later. Main delivered a precise low pass across Auburn’s box to a wide-open Hogan, who slipped it past Yapo with a first-time finish. It was Hogan’s first collegiate goal and Florida’s 14th different goal scorer this season, the most since 2001.
“I kind of blacked out in the moment,” Hogan said. “I saw the ball coming. I was like, ‘I’m trying not to sky it.’ We’ve done this in practice over and over again. This is what we’ve been training for.”
With three minutes left in the half, Main threatened from close range and forced Yapo into a save. Katie Johnston followed with a solo strike from distance that appeared headed for the top corner as the clock entered the 44th minute, but the ball hit the crossbar, leaving the teams level at the break. Florida has finished halftime tied in two matches this season and won neither.
Auburn’s best early chance of the second half came in the 59th minute, when Ava Caldwell took advantage of a lack of pressure and fired from distance, but her shot sailed just wide of the left post.
A stalemate settled over the rest of the half. The teams battled for possession in every third of the field, but clear-cut chances were scarce.
Peña made her first save of the match with eight minutes to go, comfortably collecting a first-time shot from distance by Tahirah Morales-Turnages.
Florida pushed for a late winner a minute later. Main sent a dangerous set piece to Tatum Borman, and the fans at Donald R. Dizney Stadium thought her first-time volley had given Florida the lead, but it landed behind the net.
The match turned moments later. In the 88th minute, Bailey was whistled for a foul on Auburn’s Holly Engelking and shown a straight red card for violent conduct, leaving Florida to play the final minutes a player down.
Auburn pressed for a winner, but Florida held firm. Driver’s last attempt was blocked in the 90th minute, and the final whistle sealed the draw.
Auburn edged Florida 10-9 in shots, while the Gators put three on target to the Tigers’ two. The draw gives Florida a point but leaves its postseason fate unresolved with one match left.
The Gators close the regular season against Georgia at 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, at Dizney Stadium. A spot in the 12-team SEC Tournament field, set for Nov. 8-15 in Pensacola, could hinge on the result. Florida will also try to end an eight-match winless streak against the Bulldogs that dates to 2018.
Coach Nick Zimmerman kept his message simple heading into the finale.
“We got to win,” he said. “That’s it. We go into every game with the intention of competing and taking all three points.”
Category: Feature Sports News, Gator Sports, Gators Soccer
