The No. 8 Auburn soccer team will head to South Carolina Thursday to face the No. 10 Gamecocks. Auburn took the week to recuperate after three big wins in a seven day spread. Now the Tigers are looking to face a South Carolina team undefeated in conference play.
"This week has been a hard week of practice," said midfielder Ellie Leek. "We played a game situation last night that was really high-intensity which will prepare us for the game tomorrow night."
The Gamecocks lead the SEC with 13 points and only a one-point advantage over Auburn. South Carolina has scored 33 goals in the last 12 games, and are riding on a nine-game win streak.
"They play a lot like us, so we've been focusing on ourselves a lot as well, making sure that we're to our best," said Leek. "That way, if we're at our best we don't have to worry about them as much, and that's how I prefer to go into a game as well."
The Tigers are expecting this matchup to be a battle, according to coach Karen Hoppa. Auburn has seen overtime several times this season, most recently against Alabama, and earlier escaping it within seconds against Florida.
"We've been the cardiac kids lately," Hoppa said. "We would certainly like to not have to get to overtime, but on the other hand you've got to love the perseverance of our team and the character of our team."
Auburn's defense will be tested against the Gamecocks powerful front four. The recurring theme of playing every minute of the game, something Auburn has continued to improve on, will be a key factor Thursday night.
"There's a lot of interchange and it's gonna be the biggest challenge for our defense," Hoppa said. "What our back four does and that they communicate with our midfield and that they all pass players and that they keep the ball in front of us and try to limit the opportunities."
First kick is set for 7 p.m. and will be televised on the SEC Network. Auburn will return home Sunday to take on the Texas A&M Aggies at the Auburn Soccer Complex.
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