The Auburn women's soccer team kicked off SEC play last weekend as it hosted the Mississippi State Bulldogs Friday and the Ole Miss Rebels Sunday.
No. 25 Auburn is now 1-1 in SEC play, with a 3-1 win against Miss. State and a 2-1 loss to Ole Miss.
Auburn has had trouble holding off Ole Miss the past few times the two have met.
"Friday's game was a different opponent and a different game," said head coach Karen Hoppa. "It's hard to compare the two."
For the next competition, the team will make a road trip to Fayetteville, Ark. to face off against the Arkansas Razorbacks.
"We've got to get ourselves healthy and fresh," Hoppa said. "This will be our first road trip."
Ole Miss gave Auburn the preparation they needed to face another SEC challenge, but that doesn't mean Arkansas should be taken lightly.
"We have to go back to the drawing board and put in a good week of practice to prepare for Friday's game," Hoppa said.
Last year, Auburn hosted the Razorbacks and came away with a 2-1 victory.
This year, Arkansas will bring a 3-5-2 overall record and a 0-1-1 conference record against Auburn's 7-3-0 overall record.
Arkansas suffered a 2-1 loss to Tennessee last weekend, but managed to play No. 17 Georgia to a draw.
Arkansas will bring experience to the field with 10 seniors, while Auburn is holding strong with five.
Auburn junior midfielder Katy Frierson will keep Arkansas on its toes.
She leads the team this season in scoring with five goals.
As a team, Auburn has managed 20 goals out of 186 shots taken, with Arkansas weighing in at 6 goals in 129 attempts.
Arkansas is on even playing ground with the Tigers when it comes to penalties.
The Razorbacks have 80 this season, while Auburn has managed with 79.
Arkansas defenders will have to be on-point and will need to keep a close eye on sophomore forward Mary Coffed and senior forward Ashley Marks.
The pair is No. 2 and 3, respectively, in scoring for Auburn.
Both have kept a steady pace with three goals apiece.
On the other side of the field, Arkansas' Ally Atkins will have to be kept under control by the Auburn defense.
She leads the Razorbacks in goals scored, accounting for two of Arkansas' six goals during the season.
Defensively, Auburn sophomore goalkeeper Amy Howard will be evenly matched against her Razorbacks counterpart, Brittany Hudson.
Howard has a 74.4 cumulative save percentage for the season, while Hudson's quick hands have managed her a cumulative average of 85.3 percent.
Players and coaches agree that they have to be consistent, take advantage by following through with opportunities and keep the energy going for an entire 90 minutes.
In Friday's game against Mississippi State, Auburn got on the board early, with an 11-minute goal by Coffed.
Coffed was able to get a shot in the back of the net, with an assist from Marks.
"I was looking to serve it in the box and find another runner," Coffed said, "but I didn't see anyone, so I cut it in and was able to put it in near-post."
Auburn continued to dominate throughout the game and managed another goal only 12 minutes after the first.
Frierson added another point to her resume when she went one-on-one with a Mississippi State defender and drilled in a goal.
This win marks the ninth consecutive time Auburn has defeated Mississippi State.
The Bulldogs were able to avoid a shutout when freshman forward Elisabeth Sullivan scored her fourth goal of the year in the 81st minute.
The goal ended Howard's scoreless streak at 261:47.
The Bulldogs are now 0-2 in SEC play after losing 2-0 to the University of Alabama in a Sept. 26 match.
The Tigers then played the Ole Miss Rebels (5-5-1, 1-1-0 SEC) on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
The Rebels took the lead in the 22nd minute when an Auburn foul resulted in a free kick.
"It was a tough game for us and, obviously, the conditions played a role," Frierson said. "It's always an emotional game with Ole Miss. They came out in the first half and got a good goal. We came out strong in the second half, but didn't finish with the chances we had."
It was Marks who scored the only goal for Auburn.
She scored in the 69th minute with help from Coffed and freshman Maddie Barns.
The goal tied the game 1-1 and provided the Tigers with some hope.
"The second half, we had a lot of heart and we really wanted it," Marks said. "But if you don't finish chances, you don't win games and that was the difference."
With a tie going into the latter portion of the second half, Ole Miss took the lead and the win in the 81st minute after Dylan Jordan was able to take advantage of a corner kick.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
