Auburn reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I Women's Tournament for the first time when it upset SEC rival Florida, a No. 1 regional seed, 3-1 in Gainesville.
The Tigers, who
set a new record for most wins in a single season with their 17th victory, got goals from
Kristen Dodson,
Bri Folds and
Brooke Ramsier to hold off the Gators.
“I’m incredibly proud of our team," Auburn coach
Karen Hoppa said. "I thought we did not play particularly well in the first half. We fought hard and defended well, but we
didn’t play soccer the way we wanted to and to go into halftime up -- credit to Brooke to get a goal against the run of play -- I was really proud of the team and the adjustments they made in
the second half.”
The Tigers led, 1-0, at the half on a goal scored by Ramsier from 20 yards away on their only shot of the first 45 minutes.
The game changed in the
62nd minute when Rachelle Smith scored Folds scored on a penalty kick after Dodson was taken down for a penalty on a play that led to a red card to the Gators'
Rachelle Smith.
Just
53 seconds later, though, the shorthanded Gators responded on a goal by
Brooke Sharp. But after a bunch of chances for both teams, Dodson put the match away in the 84th minute with her
13th goal of the season.
“Making it to the Elite Eight with this group is incredible,” said Ramsier. “Credit to all of us because they’re such a bond this team has
and it really is a family. We fight for each other. We go out there and play 90 minutes for each and every girl on and off the field. It’s just a crazy feeling and we’re so happy.”