AUBURN, Ala. – Tatiana Coleman’s second goal of the match came with just 32 seconds remaining in the second overtime period and helped Auburn reclaim the Iron Bowl of Soccer trophy with a 4-3 win over arch-rival Alabama. The win also moved Auburn up to the sixth seed in next week’s Southeastern Conference Tournament, securing a first-round bye.

 

“When you get your last look in the game with 32 seconds left, that’s the kid you want on the ball. Tatiana Coleman is a goal scorer,” Auburn Head Coach Karen Hoppa said. “I am so proud of this team. We could have crumbled as everything went our way in the first half and nothing went our way in the second half. Overtime was back-and-forth and we got the one final look. This is a huge victory, the biggest win of the year so far.”
 

Auburn (11-9-0, 7-6-0 SEC) had sprinted out to a three-goal lead just 32 minutes into the match as senior Mary Coffed scored twice and Coleman once in Auburn’s biggest scoring first half of the season.

 

Alabama (8-9-2, 3-8-2 SEC) reversed the field in the second half, netting three goals of its own to force the extra time as Theresa Diederich, Merel Van Dongen and Laura Lee Smith all scored in the first 33 minutes out of the break.

 

That set the stage for the double-overtime dramatics. With the clock winding down and Auburn staring a first round date at the SEC Tournament in the face, Auburn goalkeeper Amy Howard sent a high punt up and over both teams in the midfield. The kick found Coleman in stride, who, with Alabama goalkeeper Shelby Church coming off her line, popped it up and over Church from 20 yards out and into the net for her eighth goal of the season and the eighth game-winning goal of her career.

 

“When that went over the keeper I couldn’t believe it,” Coleman said. “Losing the trophy last year made us really want to get it back. We worked hard in the first half, we got those three goals and then we got complacent and they punished us. But we came back and got the trophy back.”

 

Coffed, who had gone an entire month without a goal before scoring last weekend at Vanderbilt, needed just over eight minutes to put Auburn on the board, striking a low-liner to the post for the quick 1-0 lead.

 

It was just 18 minutes later when Coffed again scored as Alexa Allen fed Tatiana Coleman on the sideline. Coleman ran down to the end line and served a cross into Coffed, who one-touched it in for her second career multi-goal game.

 

“We did a senior feature yesterday and one of the questions was ‘What has been your most memorable moment’.” Coffed said. “I said, ‘I hope tomorrow night’ and this was it. What an amazing night. I am so excited.”

 

Coleman extended the lead in the 32^nd minute when she and Allen played give-and-go just outside the penalty area for the 3-0 lead before Coleman blasted the shot past Church.

 

Alabama roared back in the second half as Diederich scored following a corner in the 55^th minute and Van Dongen converted on a penalty kick in the 69^th minute.

 

Smith completed Alabama’s comeback in the 79^th minute when she ricocheted a shot off the underside of the crossbar and in to knot the game at 3-3.

 

Auburn dominated the first half, taking 12 shots to just three for Alabama as well as winning four corners to none for Alabama.

 

The exact opposite happened in the second half as Alabama ripped off 15 shots to Auburn’s three and took four corners while Auburn didn’t attempt any.

 

Howard finished the night with eight saves to give her 97 on the season and 354 in her career, two shy of the Auburn record held by Allison Whitworth.

 

“We were so pumped in the first half with how we were playing,” Howard said. “Give credit to Alabama. They never stopped. We just never gave up though. This is incredible.”

 

With her two goal game, Coffed has now scored 17 career goals, which is ninth all-time at Auburn, and she now has 56 career points, 10^th all-time at Auburn.

 

Auburn will face Tennessee at 2:30pm CT on Wednesday at Orange Beach in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. Auburn lost to Tennessee, 1-0, on Oct. 27 at Auburn.

 

Follow Auburn Soccer on twitter @AU_Soccer.

 

-AU-