Georgia Falls to Auburn in SEC Championship Semifinal

Friday, March 25

Auburn Ala.

3:00 p.m.

University of Georgia

Auburn University

Photo by: Chamberlain Smith

Georgia Falls to Auburn in SEC Championship Semifinal

March 25, 2022 | Equestrian

AUBURN, Ala. --- The University of Georgia equestrian team fell to Auburn, 12-7, in the semifinal round of the SEC Championship on Friday afternoon at the Auburn Equestrian Center.

Sophomore Jordan Toering earned Most Outstanding Performer honors for her ride in Flat.  She scored an event-high 268.5 to defeat her Tiger counterpart by 22 points.  This marks her fourth Flat MOP of the season.

"Today did not go as we had planned or how we wish we could have showed off our great riding," Georgia head coach Meghan Boenig said. "Really and truly, we had some great scores and some really great effort from many riders.  I liked seeing that fight particularly from our Reining group at the end. We just have the smallest doors we left open and when you're fighting for an SEC Championship, you can't leave those doors open.  Tomorrow our goal is to shut those.  We'll use this as an opportunity to say, this is what we wish we would have done yesterday and make a staple for where we want to be in the rankings heading into nationals."

Competition began in Horsemanship, with Auburn gaining a slight 3-2 advantage over the Bulldogs.  The Tigers won the first two points of the event before Jillian Stopperich put Georgia on the board with a 224-216 win.  Next in the arena, Leah Anderson edged her Tigers opponent by a point with a sore of 220.5-219.5.  Auburn took the last point.

Over in the Flat arena, the Bulldogs added two points.  Jordan Toering rode to the highest score of the event, winning her point, 268.5-246.5.  Auburn won the next three rides, before Ceci Bresch finished the event, gaining a point for the Bulldogs with a score of 246.5-213.

Auburn held a 6-4 lead after two events.

The Tigers pulled ahead in Fences, winning 3-1. Jordan Toering started the event pushing her point with a score 257.  Hayley Mairano grabbed a point for the Bulldogs with a 247-246 win.

The Bulldogs added to points in Reining, but it was not enough to overcome the deficit.  Auburn won the first point. Caitlin Lyons scored a 214.5 and Lindsay Guynn rode to a 214 to add to Georgia's total.  The Tigers claimed the final two points of the meet.

Georgia will face South Carolina tomorrow in the consolation round.  Competition is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. CT.

HOW TO FOLLOW GEORGIA EQUESTRIAN: For complete information on Georgia equestrian, follow the team on its social media channels via @UGAEquestrian on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.