The Tigers played ferociously in a 2-0 victory over the Samford Bulldogs Friday night at the Auburn Soccer Complex.
Even though Auburn's goals didn't come until the last five minutes of regulation, the Tigers dominated almost every aspect of play.
"The biggest thing about the game is that Samford played such good defense," said Auburn head coach Karen Hoppa. "Their goalkeeper is outstanding, and the defense was super organized."
Forward Gabi Rivera scored the first goal for the Tigers.
"It was great, it was a good feeling," Rivera said. "It was my first goal of the season, so it meant a lot to me."
Rivera finished the game with three shots and one goal.
She also had an assist on the Tigers' second goal.
"We knew Samford was gonna come out tough," Rivera said. "They always play really hard against us, and we just had to match their energy and play with more heart."
Samford goalkeeper Alyssa Whitehead was a key player for the Bulldogs with 13 saves.
Auburn had 26 total shots on goal, with eight shots in the first 20 minutes of the game.
An Auburn shot 11 minutes into the second half looked to be the first score of the game, until Whitehead tipped the ball over the crossbar for the save.
Although most of the play took place on Samford's side of the field, Auburn defenders did their job to keep the Bulldogs scoreless and keep the Samford defenders on their side of the field for most of the game.
Forward Mary Coffed had seven shots on goal for the game, as well as the second score for the Tigers in the 86th minute.
"We were expecting it, with the history of the two teams," Coffed said, "but they just brought a lot of intensity to the game. We went up 1-0 in the last five minutes, and I had an opportunity to get a shot on frame, and it went in to put the game away and secure the win."
Samford played a better defensive game in the second half than it did in the first.
"Obviously, you have to give Gabi credit for getting a goal when we couldn't for the previous 85 minutes," Hoppa said. "It was a great finish by her, and then Coffed's goal was outstanding as well."
The Tigers' speed and agility were evident through both halves of play.
"The strength for us was just to keep our composure and keep at it, and not get frustrated," Hoppa said. "Our team did a good job--this is an easy game to get frustrated and just kinda quit doing what we're trying to do, and we stayed with it."
Auburn defender Julie King led the offense with five shots on goal.
"With it being an inner-state rivalry, a lot of the girls know the other girls," Coffed said. "They brought a lot of intensity to the game, and they played with a lot of heart. This was a really big game not only because of the rivalry, but because it's our last preseason game before the SEC starts."
Auburn begins SEC play when it hosts Mississippi State. Friday, Sept. 24. at 7 p.m.
The Bulldogs come into the game with a 7-2 overall record.
Mississippi State last defeated Oral Roberts after senior Kat Walsh scored the game's only goal late in the second half.
Freshman goalkeeper Abby Risner helped secure a Bulldog win after stopping a season-high nine shots to collect the first blank sheet of her career.
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