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Soccer Tastes Victory, Then Defeat

By Patrick Dever / Assistant Sports Editor | October 1

The Auburn Women's soccer team (4-3-3, 1-1-0) split its first two SEC games of the season last weekend with a win against Mississippi State University (8-1-0, 0-1-0) and a loss to the University of Mississippi (7-2-0, 1-0-0).The Tigers beat the Bulldogs on a rainy Friday night, 5-1.Head coach Karen Hoppa said the field was a mess Friday night."It was so wet we had to tell our backs that they couldn't pass the ball and had to clear it every time," Hoppa said.Hoppa said they are not used to playing such a direct style of play."The game wasn't pretty, but the girls adjusted well to playing long ball," Hoppa said.Auburn took the 1-0 lead on a goal headed in by senior forward Stephanie Fransoso in the 27th minute.The Tigers would not relinquish the lead the rest of the night.Sophomore Katy Frierson scored her third goal of the season four minutes after Fransoso's to give Auburn a 2-0 lead.The shutout didn't last much longer as Mississippi State put a goal by freshman goalkeeper Amy Howard in the 32nd minute.Scoring was put on hold for the rest of the first half as the Tigers out-shot the Bulldogs 13-6.It didn't take Auburn long to extend its lead in the second half.Sophomore defender Julie King scored her first goal of the season in the 54th minute.Senior forward Caitlin King and junior defender Heather Havron assisted on Julie's goal that put Auburn up 3-1.Julie said she was glad to put the team up by another goal."It was really exciting to get the goal, and it was cool that my sister got the assist after Heather's (Havron) corner kick," Julie said.Senior midfielder Becca Howell netted a goal from the top of the six-yard box late in the 63rd minute.Senior midfielder Chelsea Yauch ended the scoring two minutes later assisted by Howell.Auburn stayed in Mississippi for the weekend to face Ole Miss Sunday.The game went into double overtime and ended on an Ole Miss penalty kick in the 105th minute.Hoppa said the Rebels had a significant advantage by having their game rained out Friday night."Soccer is not like baseball where you can play everyday," Hoppa said.

Tigers to Travel to Rocky Top

By Nick Van Der Linden / ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR | October 1

The Auburn Tigers (4-0) hit the road for the first time this season to take on the University of Tennessee Volunteers (2-2).Saturday's game marks the first time since 2004 that the Tigers will travel to Knoxville.The Tigers come off a 54-30 win over Ball State University in a game once again delayed by rain.Auburn ranks third in the nation in scoring offense (45.3) and is tied for third in total offense with 526.3 yards per game.Head coach Gene Chizik said he was happy with the win, but not happy with the way it was won.

Tigers Ball on Ball State

By Patrick Dever / Assistant Sports Editor | September 28

The Auburn Tigers (4-0, 1-0 SEC) defeated the Ball State Cardinals (0-4,1-0) 54-30."It was great to get our fourth win tonight," said Auburn head coach Gene Chizik.For the second straight week, the football game was delayed, this time 28 minutes, by inclement weather in the Auburn area.

Auburn Volleyball team unable to hold LSU

By Nick Van Der Linden / ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR | September 25

The Auburn Volleyball team (9-5, 1-2 SEC) lost to the Louisiana State Tigers (8-4, 2-1 SEC) in its first home game in three weeks.The Auburn Tiger defense was not able to hold the LSU offense, losing 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 26-24).Freshman Sarah Bullock led the Auburn offense with 16 kills, 18.0 points and a .484 attack percentage.

Auburn Football Gets a Facelift for Fans

By Nick Van Der Linden / ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR | September 25

After the first three games of this football season, fans might have noticed several improvements in and around Jordan-Hare Stadium.Tiger gamedays will now feature GuestAssist, Tiger Alley and Tailgate guys, which have been incorporated for a more fan-friendly experience.Auburn is the first NCAA school to implement GuestAssist, which is currently used by a number of major sports franchises and facilities throughout North America.GuestAssist provides instant two-way text messaging based communication between fans and event staff, allowing for improved management of safety, security and guest services.Auburn fans will now be able to express their concerns or requests via their mobile phone to the command and control center at Jordan-Hare.

Chizik credits fans with momentum in win over WVU

By Abby Albright / Sports Editor | September 24

After the Tiger Walk and before the eagle flew, the sky grew dark and grey over Jordan-Hare Stadium Saturday before Auburn football took on West Virginia.During the pre-game warm ups, the sky over the student section was dark and threatening, while the sky over the Haley Center remained a much brighter grey.The ominous clouds rolled in and it started to heavily rain over the stadium and the game was delayed because of the severe weather

AU plays to draw vs. No. 1 UNC

By Lindsey Grubbs/ Staff Writer | September 24

Auburn University women's soccer team tied in overtime to last year's national champions, University of North Carolina, after a double-overtime loss to Duke University in the Duke Nike Cup Tournament at Durham, N.C.The first game of the tournament began Friday against Duke University when Auburn lost 2-1."We played really well," said head coach Karen Hoppa.

Soccer travels to Miss. State

By Lindsey Grubbs/ Staff Writer | September 24

Auburn University women's soccer team travels to Starkville, Miss., for the beginning of its SEC conference play against undefeated Mississippi State Friday.After playing the top teams in the country and playing the No.1 ranked University of North Carolina to a tie in double overtime, head coach Karen Hoopa said the team has already grown a lot since the beginning of the season."We didn't realize how good we can be until today (after the draw against UNC)," Hoppa said.

Tigers attack Cardinals

By Nick Van Der Linden / ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR | September 24

After a 41-30 win over West Virginia last weekend, the Tigers (3-0) will play host to a struggling Ball State (0-3) this Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium.The last time Ball State came to Jordan-Hare Stadium it gave up a touchdown on every possession of the game, losing 63-3 in 2005.Because of this, head coach Gene Chizik and his coaching staff will have a new challenge this week, keeping their team motivated.Ball State, who went 12-0 last year in the regular season, winning the Mid-American Conference Western Division Title, has seen a complete turnaround since the end of last season since coach Brady Hoke left for San Diego State and quarterback Nate Davis left early for the NFL.So far this season, the Cardinals have lost to North Texas and Army, two teams that had a combined 4-20 record last season, as well as New Hampshire, a football championship subdivision school.Auburn and Ball State have met twice previously this decade, with the Tigers winning twice at home, 30-0 in 2001 and 63-3 in 2005.So far, Auburn has never lost to any current members of the Mid-American Conference, with six previous games against MAC schools, with wins against Akron, Buffalo, Northern Illinois and Western Michigan.The Tigers worked on alignments and tackling, two of their main problems on defense after last Saturday's game.The defense's biggest problem last Saturday was missed tackles."We would blitz a guy and come off the edge," Chizik said in Sunday's teleconference.

Schierholz earns Equestrian MVP

By Patrick Dever / Assistant Sports Editor | September 24

Junior Hunt Seat rider Anna Schierholz started the 2009-2010 season with a bang.She competed in equitation over fences in both meets against Texas Christian University and Southern Methodist University Friday.In the first meet, against TCU, Schierholz defeated her opponent 90-73, 10 points away from a perfect score, earning MVP honors.The MVP repeated her performance against SMU, downing her Mustang opponent 85-80.Schierholz said being on the equestrian team is about much more than the meets and the MVPs."I love the connection between horse and rider," Schierholz said.

Students excited by Trooper Towels, new traditions

By Crystal Cole / STAFF WRITER | September 24

Fans that haven't been to a game recently may be surprised at what they now see after a touchdown--towels mixed in with the traditional orange and blue shakers.Rob Silverii, a senior in building sciences, and two friends are distributing "Trooper Towels" to the Auburn faithful. "It's a great way to bring publicity to the University and hopefully help with recruiting," Silverii said.He came up with the idea during the season opener with his friends, Daniel Dreher, a senior in mechanical engineering, and Hunter Harris, a senior in accounting.Silverii said he and his friends watched wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor on the sidelines waving his towel to energize players.They thought bringing towels to the game would be a great way to show their support for the new coaching staff.After the game, they started brainstorming ideas.They drew their inspiration from the Pittsburgh Steelers' "Terrible Towel" that has been a fan favorite for years.After the game, they started a Web site to get the word out about the Trooper Towel, troopertowels.com.Silverii said in the first couple of days they sold 150 towels and, before the week was out, they had an order for 5,000."It's been incredible," Silverii said.

Kickin' it with Amy Berbary

By Abby Albright / Sports Editor | September 24

Before wearing orange and blue and cheering "War Eagle," women's soccer assistant coach Amy Berbary donned Auburn's familiar Southeastern Conference rival Georgia's red and black.Berbary is in her second year on head coach Karen Hoppa's coaching staff and said she enjoys life on The Plains."It is awesome," Berbary said.

Water polo splashes into season

By David Crayton/ Staff Writer | September 24

Some call it volleyball in the water. Others call it water basketball. Still others call it football with soccer mixed in.For those that play the game and know the sport, it is simply called water polo.President of the water polo club and senior Patrick Gilday said the sport is somewhat similar to basketball."You have six players on each side and you have a goalie, so there are seven players in the water on each team," Gilday said.

Equestrian shuts out TCU, SMU

By Molly Wickstrom / Staff Writer | September 24

Auburn equestrian team competed in its season opener Friday against the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs in the morning and the Southern Methodist University Mustangs in the afternoon.Auburn defeated TCU 13-6 and SMU 7-4."The team as a whole showed up to win," said senior Hunt Seat rider Liza Luker.

Soccer Sweethearts kick off fall season

By Devin Rutland/ Staff Writer | September 24

The Soccer Sweethearts recently named their 2009-2010 members and have begun preparing for the fall 2009 soccer season.The primary function of the Auburn Soccer Sweethearts is to support Auburn club men's soccer."There is no funding from the school, so we have to fundraise," said Sweetheart Laura Garikes.

Pawlowski talks during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

By Emily Beckett/ Staff Writer | September 24

The purple streaks on Auburn baseball head coach John Pawlowski's "We R Praying 4 MLP" wristband have faded, but his hope for his daughter Mary-Louise to be cancer-free one day has not."This is my original (wristband)," Pawlowski said.

Tigers take down Mountaineers, 41-30

By Abby Albright / Sports Editor | September 24

After a frustrating rain delay and a competitive game, Auburn pulled out a win against West Virginia Saturday, beating the Mountaineers 41-30."I'm really, really proud of our football team because we had to overcome more adversity than probably we did in either of the previous two weeks," said head coach Gene Chizik.

Auburn Stands Strong Against West Virginia 41-30

By Nick Van Der Linden / ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR | September 20

In a rain-delayed gamed in which both Auburn and West Virginia combined for more than 900 yards of offense, it was the Auburn defense that came up big in Auburn's 41-30 win over the Mountaineers.The start of the game was delayed by an hour and three minutes because of a lightning storm that made it practically impossible to see across the field. Despite warnings to leave stadium due to severe weather, some 15,000 rowdy students decided to stay and cheer while waiting out the delay.