AUBURN, Ala. – The University of South Alabama soccer team fell to Auburn, 3-0, Saturday afternoon at the Auburn Soccer Complex.

USA (13-7-1, 8-2-0) continues the Spring trend of loss following win. The Jags were outshot 17-5 with shots on goal favoring the home side 7-4.

Auburn (9-5-3, 3-3-2 SEC) picked up its fourth win in the row with their last loss coming against then #9 Clemson. The Tigers close out the Spring season with Virginia Tech at Bradenton, Fla.

GAME FACTS
- The home side struck first just under 10 minutes into the match. After a turnover in the midfield, the Tigers countered at the retreating Jaguar defense. Tiger Hailey Whitaker found Olivia Candelino in the right half of the Jag goal box where Candelino slotted the ball past Jag goalkeeper Allison Luckhardt into the left side of the visitors' goal. (1-0)
- With the game being stretched after the initial offense strides early, USA recorded a pair of shots over the course of three minutes at the 16:21 mark. Tilly Wilkes fired from about 30 yards away, and while the attempt had Tiger goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska scrambling, the effort went over the cross bar. Brenna McPartlan followed up two minutes 56 seconds later but her effort was saved.
- With 11 minutes and 43 seconds remaining in the first half, the home side doubled the advantage. A turnover from a Jaguar throw in gave the ball to the Tigers in the midfield. Whitaker centered the ball to Anna Haddock. Haddock dribbled up and from around 25 yards out, the Tiger ripped a shot that nestled in the bottom right corner of the goal.
- Auburn looked to punch in a third early in the second half as Alyssa Malonson looked to cap off back-to-back corners but missed to the left.
- The hosts added a third goal in the 54th minute after a mistake from the backline allowed Whitaker the ball eight yards in front of the goal, and while Luckhardt initially denied Whitaker, shifting in the goal box gave the attacker the advantage as the ball was poked into the net past retreating defenders.
- South created an opportunity to pull one back after high pressure up the field forced an errant clearance. Laurence Saviana controlled Prohoska's clearance and found Littleford down the right sideline. Littleford centered the ball to McPartlan and the ensuing shot was smothered by a diving Prohaska.
- Auburn saw out the clean sheet as it prevented USA from any more opportunities in the closing 11 minutes.

NOTES
- Auburn was the third SEC opponent scheduled this Spring and the first South Alabama has played on the road.
- This was the first time South has been shutout since a 1-nil loss on Feb. 14 at Southern Miss.
- Deanna Green added a start, appearance and 90 minutes to her active-team leading stats in those three categories which now stand at 70, 78 and 6,072.
- Hailey Bastian made her second start, both in road games this spring for the freshman.
- Tilly Wilkes picked up her third yellow card of the season by conceding a foul preventing an attack by Auburn.

THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richard Moodie
- On the match: "This was just one of those matches were we don't have a lot of depth. We made it a game of transition and that is not what we're good at and ultimately we could have held on to the ball better. I thought we were good defensively at times but good teams punish mistakes and that's what happened today."

- On moving forward: "There is not much more we can do where we're at. The way the season is and circumstances of where we're at, we just have to try to keep going. The first five-to-10 minutes looked good, then the goal took the wind out of our sails. Then we got back into the game and had a positive 10 minutes but conceded again. We're working hard, and we're proud of the girls because there were some good moments today, but the score line does not suggest that."

UP NEXT
- The Jaguars travel to Oxford, Miss., to face Ole Miss in the final game on the Spring schedule next Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the Upper 90 Club, the soccer specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. All gifts to the Upper 90 Club go directly to support the South Alabama soccer program. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/upper90