auburn beats virginia tech with late second half magic

Kolbjorn Bergstrom

April 18, 2021

CONWAY, S.C. — In its fourth game of the spring, Virginia Tech looked to secure its fourth straight win to wrap up its regular season. Not only were both sides in a similar boat, as Auburn was not only looking to cap off its season with a five-game winning streak, but also looked to be on the cusp of a NCAA Postseason Tournament berth.

After 70 hard fought minutes between the teams, Auburn broke the tie with three unanswered goals to hand Virginia Tech its first defeat of the spring, 4-1.

The first 25 minutes saw both sides find a shot opportunity and a corner each as the match remained scoreless, but the half wasn’t going to end without a goal.

Midfielder Emily Gray kicked off the scoring for the Hokies in the 27^th minute of play, her ninth goal of the season, and has scored in all four games in the spring. The 1-0 lead wouldn’t last long for Virginia Tech, as Auburn found an answer before the half drew to a close.

With ten minutes to play in the first half, forward Maddie Simpson found the tying goal off a corner from freshman midfielder Anna Haddock, Simpson’s second goal of the season, with her first coming against Kennesaw State.

Auburn held the lead in shots taken 8-4 in the first half, and was not going to rest easy in the second half.

The Tigers came out hot in the second half, giving the Hokies a few different scares five minutes in. Within the span of a minute-and-a-half, freshman goalkeeper Alia Skinner made three saves to ward off the Tigers early attack and keep the score level.

As the second half continued to move on, both sides found shots easier to come by, and as the game moved into its last twenty minutes of play, the tie felt destined to be broken.

Starting in the 71^st minute, forward Mallory Mooney and the Tigers shifted to another gear, as her first goal of the match opened the floodgates for Auburn as it took the 2-1 lead.

Two more of those opportunities came to Mooney, and she was not going to be denied.

In the 81^st and 83^rd minutes of play, Mooney completed her hattrick with an unassisted goal, and the other coming from an assist by forward Jolie Baltezgar. Mooney’s incredible play saw Auburn take a 4-1 lead with under ten minutes to play, practically guaranteeing the win for the Tigers.

Saturday afternoon was a statement win for Auburn, who came out of the game on a five-game win streak.

As for Virginia Tech, a loss certainly isn’t how any team wants to end its season, but to finish with an 8-9-0 record after losing its first five games in the fall is something to be proud of.

There are no more regular season games on either side's schedule, however the NCAA Tournament will begin next week it seems like Auburn has punched itself a ticket to postseason play.

For the Hokies, the waiting game begins.