Auburn defeats Gamecocks on penalty kicks in SEC women’s soccer tournament

At Orange Beach, Ala., fifth-seeded South Carolina opened the SEC Women’s Soccer Tournament with a loss to fourth-seeded Auburn on penalty kicks.

Auburn scored on all five of its penalty-kick opportunities to seal the win. USC missed its first penalty kick.

The Gamecocks held a 2-0 lead early in the second half, but Auburn rallied with two second-half goals to force overtime.

USC’s first goal came off the foot of Anna Conklin in the 20th minute. Simone Wark put the No. 16 Gamecocks ahead 2-0 with a goal with 29:41 remaining in regulation. Savannah McCaskill assisted on both goals.

Neither team could score in the two 10-minute overtime periods, meaning the match would be decided by penalty kicks.

Auburn advances to play Florida in the semifinals. South Carolina must wait to see where it is selected for the NCAA tournament.