Auburn University women’s soccer team went on the road last weekend for its first two SEC games.
They picked up a tie and their first SEC win on the road trip.
The Tigers took the pitch Friday at Kentucky in the first SEC game for both of the teams.
Auburn freshman Katy Frierson said defense was the name of the game.
“It was back and forth a lot,” Frierson said. “There was a whole lot of playing defense.”
The game remained deadlocked throughout and went into overtime.
“We had a lot of chances in overtime,” Frierson said.
Neither Kentucky nor Auburn, however, could capitalize on their opportunities. The game ended scoreless after two overtime periods.
Coach Karen Hoppa said a tie means good things for her defense.
Upcoming Games
Oct. 3 vs. Mississippi / 7 p.m.
Oct. 5 vs. Miss. State / 2 p.m.
Oct. 10 at LSU / 7 p.m.
Oct. 12 at Arkansas / 1 p.m.
Oct. 17 vs. Florida / 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 19 vs. S. Carolina / 2:30 p.m.
Oct. 23 at Georgia / 7 p.m.
Oct. 26 vs. Tennessee
Oct. 31 vs. Alabama
“Anytime you can get out a shutout on the road in the SEC, you know your defense played great,’’ Hoppa said. “We were a little frustrated, though, not to get a goal.”
Goalkeeper Allison Whitworth totaled five saves for the game.
Sunday’s match at Vanderbilt saw more action inside the goal box.
Frierson drew first blood for the Tigers at 1:19 when she sent a free kick flying over a wall of Commodore defenders.
“Starting right at the beginning, we were finishing our chances,” Hoppa said. “That first goal broke the ice and gave us the confidence that we could score.”
Vanderbilt answered with a corner kick at the 15th minute to tie the game 1-1.
Stephanie Fransoso, midfielder for the Tigers, sneaked a pass through the Vanderbilt defense to the feet of teammate Rebecca Howell. Howell went one-on-one with the goalkeeper and tucked it away to put Auburn up 2-1.
Gabi Rivera scored another goal for the Tigers at the 61st minute, giving Auburn a comfortable two-goal lead.
Auburn found the net on three of its five shots on goal in the Sunday matchup.
“We were putting together great combinations up front,” Whitworth said.
As the game drew closer to the end, Vanderbilt made a final attempt to reclaim control of the game.
“They put a lot of pressure on us late in the game,” Hoppa said. “When a team is down by that many points, they typically add offensive players, and that’s exactly what they did. They changed their formation and threw a ton of numbers on us up front.”
The change in strategy paid off for the Vanderbilt squad in the 82nd minute when a one-timer from Katie Schulz cut the lead in half.
“We broke down and couldn’t get a ball clear,” Whitworth said.
Vanderbilt kept the pressure up as the game drew to a close. A late save by Whitworth protected the Tigers’ lead, and Auburn defeated Vanderbilt 3-2.
Whitworth said an early lead was an essential element of Sunday’s victory.
“We came out fast and got the first goal, which was important,” Whitworth said.
Despite picking up the win, Whitworth said they still have some errors to correct.
“We won, which is good, but we still let them take control at the last minute,” Whitworth said. “We panicked in the last few minutes, and we are going to have to fix that before the big SEC games.”
Whitworth tallied 11 saves in the Sunday matchup.
Auburn will continue its SEC play tomorrow against Ole Miss, followed by Mississippi State Sunday.
