No. 22 Auburn could not solve the defense of No. 19 Tennessee, falling 2-0 on Sunday afternoon in Southeastern Conference soccer action. The loss dropped Auburn’s record to 11-5-2, 5-4-1 SEC while Tennessee improved to 13-5-0, 6-4-0 SEC and jumped over Auburn in the SEC standings with one regular season match remaining.

“Tennessee absolutely out-played us in every facet. I was very impressed by Tennessee today,” Auburn Head Coach Karen Hoppa said. “We were flat and didn’t play well.”

Tennessee wasted little time going up a goal, needing just 2:33 to take a 1-0 lead as Amy Harrison finished off an Emily Dowd cross to Carolina Brown, who one-touched it to Harrison two steps inside the 18. The shot was the first shot of the match for either team and Harrison’s third goal of the season.

At the other end, a Tess Patton shot from 40 yards out, a header by Ashley Kotero inside the 18 and a Mary Coffed attempt were the only shots Auburn could put on frame in the first 45 minutes, and all were stopped easily by Tennessee goalkeeper Julie Eckel, as Tennessee’s defenders collapsed into the box to block numerous Auburn shots.

Chelsea Hatcher’s blast in the 55^th minute put Auburn in a two-goal deficit. Hatcher fired from just a step inside the 18 through traffic, collecting her fourth goal of the season.

Auburn finished the match with 13 shots, upping the pressure in the final seven minutes as Katy Frierson hit the post with a shot with 6:45 left and then hit a free kick from 30 yards out that Eckel punched up over the crossbar for a corner with 2:30 left. Auburn was held to just four corners while Tennessee, which had 17 shots and six shots on goal, finished the match with 10 corners.

Auburn closes out the regular season on Friday, Oct. 28, in Tuscaloosa, Ala., against arch-rival Alabama. Match time for the annual Iron Bowl of Soccer is 7pm.

Follow Auburn Soccer on twitter @AU_Soccer.

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