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Even though our ladies got off to a slow start with Auburn, they found a way to win in the final minutes. Auburn scored early, and Tech battled back, with Paige Strahan finally getting the equalizer just before the half. The 2nd half we played solid on offense and defense, and Alli Murphy took a surprise shot from midfield that sealed the 2-1 win.
MURPHY'S LATE GOAL SENDS TECH INTO SWEET 16
Alli Murphy helped send the Red Raiders to their first ever appearance in the third round of the NCAA Championship with her late goal that came in the 87th minute of play Friday against Auburn. Murphy, seeing the goalkeeper off her line, took advantage by serving the ball high and into the back of the night for her fourth goal this season. It was the second game-winning goal of the year for Murphy, who has already snapped the Texas Tech single-season record for assists this season.
ICYMI, you can watch the really fantastic shot and game winner here:
Stone Pleased with Attitude and Effort
"It's exciting," Tech head coach Tom Stone said following the win, the 94th so far in his career. "We knew we were up against a program that was pretty comfortable here. (Auburn) played us a great game, scored a nice goal and really made us work for everything we got. I couldn't be more proud of this team's attitude and effort today."
Today will be just the second meeting between Tech and Florida, and last time, it didn't go so well. Hopefully we can even up the series today.
Sunday will be the second meeting all-time between Texas Tech and Florida as the two schools last met in 2011 when the Gators handed the Red Raiders a 3-0 setback in Gainesville. Only five Red Raiders - Jaelene Hinkle, Erin Inman, Bridgett Jenkins, Taylor Narvaiz and Paige Strahan - remain from that match.
Here's the tournament bracket and where and when to watch our Red Raiders:
Game Time: 1:00PM Central
Where to Watch: SEC Network Plus/ESPN3.com/WatchESPN app
What a great season we've had so far, and a win today would be amazing. Guns Up and Wreck those Gators!