Coming off an exciting 2-0 shutout over No. 19 Georgia (13-4-1, 6-4-0 SEC) Sunday, the Auburn Women's Soccer team (8-7-3, 5-5-0 SEC) has spent this week preparing to play arch-rival Alabama (6-9-1, 2-6-1 SEC) in the Iron Bowl of Soccer, Friday at 7 p.m.
"Alabama, just like in any sport, is one of those games, especially at Alabama, that records are out the window," said head coach Karen Hoppa. "It doesn't matter what you've done before; it's going to be a war no matter what. We're trying to prepare with that mentality."
There is a traveling Iron Bowl of Soccer trophy that the Tigers are working to keep in Auburn.
"We've won it the past three years in a row," Hoppa said. "On the base of the trophy there is the score from every Auburn-Alabama soccer game ever played. The winner gets to keep it for the year. We have it, we'll bring it back Friday night and the winner of that game will get to keep it for the year and carve the new score in it."
Hoppa said to bring the trophy home, she told the team to focus on Friday's game as if it were a one-game season.
The Crimson Tide fell to Tennessee (8-7-3, 4-4-2 SEC) Sunday, 2-0.
One of the Lady Vols' losses came from Auburn Thursday, when the Tigers beat the Lady Vols 3-1.
Auburn's three goals against Tennessee came from senior forward Rebecca Howell (who scored both Auburn goals against Georgia), sophomore midfielder Julie King and senior midfielder Chelsea Yauch.
"In preparing for Alabama we're doing what we pretty much do every week, all the forwards go to keeper training an hour before practice," Howell said. "Whatever the training the keepers are doing, we're the shooters. It's not really forward practice, it's for the keepers, but we get to shoot on them and get in there and get in the motions of finishing and getting extra repetition in is what gets me prepared. The more goals I score, the more focused I get, the more excited and confident I am."
After the victories on Thursday and Sunday, Howell earned SEC Player of the Week and freshman goalkeeper Amy Howard earned SEC Freshman of the Week.
Hoppa said Alabama has a couple "dangerous forwards" that the Auburn defense and Howard have to prepare for.
"Like coach says, it's a new one-game season Friday night, so we just have to really focus on what we have to do and get the job done like we have these last few games," Howard said.
Howell said it would mean a lot to her and the seniors to be able to say they went 4-0 against Alabama in their Auburn soccer careers.
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