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The Gators continued their SEC push with a trip to Alabama as they took on the Auburn Tigers. The Tigers entered the game ranked sixth in the nation. The Gators were coming off a very tough fixture against Kentucky, where they drew level at 0-0. The Gators looked to add three points to their tally Sunday.

The Gators started off with high intensity and pressure as the referee blew the whistle. Within 15 seconds, Florida already conceded a foul, but it was a tone setter for the rest of the first half.

Florida looked much better within the first half than last match. They maintained possession and strung up some great movements that kept Auburn on their heels. With the first shot of the game, Lena Bailey hit the ball with power but the Auburn goalkeeper, Maddie Prohaska, made a comfortable save. Florida was playing with more confidence and it took the Tigers by surprise.

Auburn returned the same favor two minutes later. A great move by the Tigers allowed Anna Haddock to have a striking opportunity. The Florida defense had other plans, and blocked the shot; getting rid of the danger. The Tigers reminded the Gators that they can still be a threat.

The game began to settle in and both teams were playing their possession. A lot of patient play from Auburn which gave them some chances, but nothing threatening. Florida found themselves with great spells of play, too. It was pretty even through the first half in all aspects.

AT the 24:07 minute mark, both coaches decided to change up their squads. Auburn subbed on two players and Florida subbed on five players. Both teams made offensive changes in hopes of finding that crucial first goal.

The game was like a seesaw for the rest of the half. Both teams were playing possession-based tactics and opportunities were available. In the SEC, there is no such thing as an easy goal. Auburn though, would have had them if Florida wasn’t keeping an a composed back line. The Gators defense caught the Tigers offsides on multiple occasions throughout the later part of the half, making the Auburn attack think twice before playing a pass.

The first half ended scoreless. The Gators finished the half with four shots and one corner. The Tigers finished the half with two shots, two saves, and one corner. It was a pretty even half and both teams looked to grab the opening goal in the next 45 minutes.

Before the half, Auburn made nine substitutions and Florida made six substitutions. It was evident that both coaches believed that the score would stay the same if changes weren’t made.

The second half began at the referee’s whistle.

Aggression was the summarizing word of the first 15 minutes in the half. Physically, there were five fouls accumulated by both teams. Offensively, Auburn came out the gates flying. They found their first shot of the game I 23 seconds, courtesy of Haddock. It didn’t stop there for Auburn, as they earned themselves a corner and two sequential shots within the 52nd and 53rd minute. Florida absorbed it well, but Auburn was looking super threatening.

Five minutes later, Florida earned themselves a corner and turned the pressure on Auburn. Nothing came of the corner though.

The Gators continued to struggle with the Auburn possession. With five fouls in five minutes, the Gators were really trying to slow down the offensive threat.

At the 64:18 mark, Jordan Crosby and her left found slotted the ball into the bottom right side of the Florida net and opened the scoring in favor of Auburn. The Gators were trying to get rid of threat but Crosby showed great composure and took her chance well. Auburn led 1-0 with about 25 minutes left to go.

After the goal, the Gators began to play more aggressive as they were looking to equalize. Auburn did not let up on their pressure and forced a Florida goal kick. Auburn followed up with two more shots looking to double their lead.

The Gators didn’t have an answer for the relentlessness of the Auburn pressure. By the 85th minute, Auburn had five shots after the goal. The Gators had one shot after the goal by the 85th minute.

In the 89th minute, Florida earned themselves a corner to try and salvage a point. The corner is swung in and the ball is juggling around the legs of everyone in the box. The ball finds Lauren McCloskey, who takes a strike, but it’s off the mark. The ball then finds Sophie White, whose shot is also off the mark. The referee blows the final whistle and the Gators are defeated 1-0.

The Gators finished the second half with three shots, three saves, and two corners. The Tigers finished the half with 10 shots, zero saves, three corners, and most importantly, one goal.

It was a very tough match up for Samantha Bohon and her Gators. The Gators played a terrific first half and tried to go for it in the second half. The relentless pressure from the Tigers got the better of Florida, but that’s what you can expect from the sixth ranked team in the country.

Despite the result, it really was a great performance. They went toe-to-toe with Auburn for majority of the match. The Gators will be a SEC threat later down the line. This team can get some really good results and find their way to the later stages of the season. But first, they have to take care of business against Tennessee in their first SEC home game on Thursday, September 26. This will be a minor bump in a long journey for Florida Gators soccer.