No. 18 Tennessee picked up a 1-0 win over Auburn on the road on Thursday, shutting out five straight SEC opponents for the first time in program history.
Tennessee (10-3-2, 6-1-1 SEC) was dominant offensively, putting nine shots on goal while holding Auburn to four. Freshman Kameron Simmonds scored the only goal of the match, finding the net in the 74th minute. Senior Lindsey Romig logged four saves to earn the clean sheet.
The Tigers (6-5-5, 2-5-1 SEC) were led offensively by Carly Thatcher who took three shots with two on frame. In goal, Maddie Prohaska made eight saves on the night.
"This was a gritty performance from our team tonight against an organized and competitive Auburn team," said Tennessee head coach Joe Kirt.
"Our composure on the ball has continued to improve in all phases, becoming more patient in the final third. All of our attacking players were dangerous tonight. Jon (Morgan) challenged them at halftime to have more confidence, and they certainly rose to that challenge in the second half, culminating in Kameron (Simmonds) finding the breakthrough goal on a great strike."
The Lady Vols started out aggressive offensively, peppering the Auburn goal with three shots and two corner kicks in the first six minutes.
In the 13th minute, sophomore Taylor Huff put a shot low and on frame from 12 yards out to force Prohaska into a diving save.
Tennessee got another chance in the 27th minute when redshirt-junior Maria Nelson served the ball into the box and Huff ran onto a missed clearance by the Tigers, but an AU defender got a foot out to block the shot.
The Tigers got off a pair of shots in the 30th minute with Anna Haddock taking the first that was blocked by the Tennessee back line, and Maddie Simpson putting a shot on frame following the rebound, but Romig was there to collect the save.
Tennessee got its most dangerous opportunity of the first half with just over six minutes remaining when Huff threaded a pass to Jaida Thomas who was breaking into to the box. Thomas blasted a shot low at the far corner, but Prohaska came up with an excellent save from close range.
The Lady Vols kept the ball in their attacking third for the remainder of the half but couldn't capitalize, and the game went into the break tied at zero.
Huff opened up the second half with a blast from the top of the eighteen-yard box just three minutes into play, but Prohaska was there to make the diving save.
Two minutes later, Sydney Richards answered with a 24-yard rocket on the other end, but she missed wide right.
The Lady Vols kept the offensive action alive, with senior Claudia Dipasupil finding Huff in the box for a header and sophomore Jordan Fusco putting a shot on frame following the subsequent corner kick.
Simmonds broke behind the Auburn defense in the 72nd minute, driving down the left side of the box and sending a shot toward the far post but missing just wide.
She got another chance 90 seconds later and made it count, receiving a pass from redshirt-freshman Jenna Stayart 25 yards out and beating a Tiger defender one-on-one at the top of the box to drill the ball at the near post and put UT on top 1-0.
Auburn nearly had the equalizer with three minutes left in the game, winning the ball on the endline and trying to sneak one in from two yards out, but Romig made the kick save, and Tennessee rode out the clock.
UP NEXT: The Lady Vols will return to Knoxville for a two-game homestand, hosting No. 21 South Carolina in a 1 p.m. ET matinee on Sunday (SECN+) and Vanderbilt in the regular-season finale at 6:30 p.m. ET on Thursday (SEC Network).
ROAD WARRIORS: With the win over Auburn, Tennessee completed its SEC away schedule with a perfect 5-0 record while only giving up two goals. Tennessee has gone undefeated on the road in SEC play twice previously, but this marks the first time a UT team has won all away games in conference play.
SECOND HALF TEAM: Over the last six games, Tennessee has outscored opponents 10-1. Of those 10 goals, eight have come in the second half with seven of those in the final 20 minutes.
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