AUBURN, Ala. – No. 22 Auburn defeated LSU, 1-0, in overtime as Marissa Arias’ golden goal in the 93rd minute was the difference Sunday afternoon at the Auburn Soccer Complex.
Arias put a rebounded attempt from Alyssa Malonson into the back of the net to lead Auburn (10-3-0, 4-2-0 SEC) to its 13th straight result against LSU (8-5-0, 1-5-0 SEC). The Tigers are now 3-0-0 against SEC West foes this season.
“It was a great week,” head coach Karen Hoppa said. “Two West wins, two 1-0 wins, and two shutouts. To grind this out in the heat on a Sunday and get the win is a credit to our team character and our leadership.“
Arias’ goal was her sixth of the season and team-high fourth in SEC play. All six of her goals have come in the last eight contests and two have proven to be game-winners.
“It was amazing,” Arias said of her golden goal. “I missed one earlier in the game, so I was beating myself up for not finishing that one. It was nice to put one away.”
The game marked Auburn’s sixth shutout of the season, including its second of the week and fourth of SEC play. The Tigers haven’t allowed a goal against LSU in six meetings and nearly 600 minutes.
Malonson not only assisted the game-winning goal but was also once again instrumental in the team’s defensive effort, leading the way for all 93 minutes.
“I was putting everything on the line,” Malonson said. “I was really tired, so I wanted to get it done as soon as possible. We are always really good on set pieces, so I knew we would get a result from that.”
Maddie Prohaska was only credited with one save on the stat sheet, but the sophomore goalkeeper made many more plays in the box, not allowing any second attempts to keep LSU in check throughout.
“It was really a point of emphasis,” Prohaska said. “I think the biggest thing is we played as a team defensively. We continued to build off of each other.”
Auburn controlled the first half of play, but the two teams took a 0-0 tie into halftime despite the Tigers outshooting their counterpart 9-1. The team’s best look of the first 45 minutes came on a through ball from Anna Haddock to Kylie Bechard in the final stages of the half.
The pace on both ends of the field quickened after intermission, and Prohaska helped keep the score tied as she deflected a near post flick on LSU’s only shot on goal of the contest.
Prohaska, Malonson and the rest of Auburn’s back line held strong as the visiting Tigers applied pressure in the middle portion of the second half, and it was ultimately the home-standing Tigers who regained momentum the last 10 minutes of regulation.
Auburn nearly broke the ice with 10 minutes to play when Olivia Candelino drew a foul 24 yards from goal and Haddock hit a well-struck, left-footed free kick. However, LSU’s goalkeeper was there to haul in the attempt in front of goal.
As the clock ticked towards zero, the Tigers attempted four shots in a span of less than two minutes, but the game ultimately remained scoreless at the end of regulation.
Like they had for much of the contest, Auburn continued to press up the field at the start of overtime, and it only took the Tigers 2:27 to finally find the back of the net.
After Auburn winning a corner kick, M.E. Craven got her head on a service from Mallory Mooney and Malonson ran it down near post. The fifth-year defender but her header on frame and the LSU goalkeeper deflected it with her body, but Arias was right there to clean it up and end the game.
Auburn tallied 20 shots in the contest and put seven on goal. Eleven of 18 players who saw action Sunday registered a shot, led by four from Haddock and three from Maddie Simpson.
The Tigers stay at home to host Florida (3-8-3, 2-3-1 SEC) next Sunday, Oct. 17 at 12 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
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