Entering Sunday one point ahead of LSU and Missouri for the 10th and final seed in the SEC tournament, Florida needed to earn some points against 23rd ranked Auburn.
They would not do so, leaving Auburn with a 2-0 loss. Florida now sits at 3-9-3 while Auburn improves to an impressive 11-3 overall.
Auburn dominated Florida early and often. The Tigers put pressure on Goldberg with 15 first half shots. Goldberg made three saves in the first, holding Auburn scoreless.
The Gators offense was nonexistent. Being unable to get the ball downfield, the Gators went through the first 45 minutes of play with no shots and no corner kicks.
Consistent pressure finally paid off for Auburn in the 52nd minute. Redshirt sophomore Marissa Arias, who has been lethal in SEC play, exploded off the back line and found the back of the net for her seventh goal in nine games.
Auburn doubled their lead in the 72nd minute when junior Sydney Richards buried a rebound off of an Alexa Goldberg save. A bad clear attempt from the Gators, gave possession right back to Auburn, helping to create Richards’ goal.
Florida concluded the match tying their season low of one shot on goal and one corner kick. However, the Gators, who have 19 more fouls than any other SEC team, did play fairly cleaner with only nine fouls all match.
Three matches remain for the Gators to add on to their point total. The next will be on Thursday at 5 p.m. in Athens against the 10-3-2 Georgia Bulldogs.