#21 Vols Remain Unbeaten, Tie Auburn 1-1

Thursday, September 21

Knoxville, TN

7:00 PM

University of Tennessee

9-0-1, 1-0-1

Auburn

4-3-2, 1-0-1

OT 3

OT 4

Auburn

Tennessee

September 21, 2017 | Soccer

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. --- The No. 21 Tennessee Volunteers remained unbeaten but not untied in 2017, battling the Auburn Tigers to a 1-1 double overtime draw Thursday night at Regal Soccer Stadium.

The Vols (9-0-1, 1-0-1 SEC) scored midway through the first half and maintained the lead until Auburn (5-3-1, 1-0-1) scored with six minutes left in regulation.

"Obviously, it's a little difficult to swallow, giving away a goal with under six minutes remaining," Tennessee head coach Brian Pensky said. "But that's when we learn about ourselves, and our kids' response was phenomenal. We battled 'til the end and created several more chances. Our team is tough, and we saw that tonight. That will continue to help us as we progress throughout the remainder of our season.

"This league is good! Every game is an absolute fight, and certainly Sunday at South Carolina will be just that."

Going into the the contest, Tennessee was one of just two remaining undefeated and untied teams in NCAA Division I soccer, along with Texas (8-0-0).

Tennessee struck first in the 30th minute with a goal from Meghan Flynn off a through ball delivered by Khadija Shaw. Flynn now has three goals on the 2017 campaign. Her goal came less than two minutes after entering the contest.

Auburn struggled to get on the board until the 84th minute when the Tigers responded with a goal by Jaelyn Gadson, who put in a ball off a rebound.

The goal by Auburn proved to be the last points that would be scored on the evening, as the Lady Vols and Tigers played through two 10-minute overtime periods without a score, resulting in a 1-1 final.

Auburn out-shot Tennessee 20 to 15 in the game. Tennessee goalkeeper Shae Yanez came up with six saves, including a pair in the second overtime period.

Five Vols played the full 110 minutes: Yanez, Mackenzie Gouner, Maya Neal, Katie Cousins and Wrenne French.

FIRST START FOR FRENCH: Wrenne French became the fourth UT freshman to start a game this season, joining Paige Franks, Erin Gilroy and McKinley Burkett. French and Franks started at the wingback positions Thursday, and Gilroy started at forward.

DOUBLE-DIGIT WINS: With a win versus South Carolina on Sunday, Tennessee could become the first NCAA Division I women's soccer program to reach double-digit wins this season.

UP NEXT: The Volunteers will hit the road to Columbia, South Carolina, to take on the No. 3 South Carolina Gamecocks on Sunday. The match is slated for a 2 p.m. start time. It can be viewed on SEC Network+ (WatchESPN.com).