The Georgia Bulldogs squared off with the Auburn Tigers in the so-called Loveliest Village on Thursday night for an SEC women’s soccer match pitting a pair of conference powers. The Red and Black arrived at Auburn bearing a 12-4 overall record and a 6-2 league mark, and the Orange and Blue were right on their heels at 11-4-1 and 5-3. Ultimately, the contest was even closer than the records suggested it would be, ending in a 0-0 tie after two overtimes.
The scoreless first half was knotted at zero---sorry; I’ll support our University of Georgia student-athletes, but I’m not doing that "nil" nonsense---because the saves were snarled at two, with Ashley Baker matching her Auburn counterpart with a pair of stops. The Red and Black had the greater number of shots prior to intermission, with the Bulldogs tallying six to the Tigers’ four. Half of the Athenians’ shots were fired by Alexa Newfield, with two of her three being shots on goal.
It was more of the same in the second half, when each team took four shots and neither team scored a goal. Regulation play concluded with the score tied and the home team leading the visitors in fouls, 13-11. A Newfield shot 96 seconds into the extra period yielded an Amy Howard save, and a Jamie Pollock shot sailed wide in the 98th minute of the contest, leaving the score unchanged at the close of the initial overtime.
Auburn’s Ashley Kotero sent a kick high in the 102nd minute, and Newfield did likewise in the 104th, thus preserving the deadlock. Baker carded another save to keep it all even in the 106th minute, and, by the time the second overtime had concluded, the two teams had combined for an additional four shots, one of which was high and the other three of which were blocked. The shots were tied at 14 after 110 minutes of play.
Ashley Baker ended the game with five saves to her credit without allowing a goal, while Alexa Newfield tried six shots, three of which were directed toward the net. The Bulldogs have now gone five games without a loss, and they return to Athens to close out the regular season against Alabama and Tennessee. Georgia compiled a 7-1-1 road record this fall.
Go ‘Dawgs!