The No. 22 Auburn soccer team will enter its final regular-season match Friday evening, traveling to Tuscaloosa to challenge the No. 78 Alabama Crimson Tide in their annual soccer Iron Bowl at 7 p.m.
The Tigers (11-8-2) are 5-4-2 in conference while the Crimson Tide (8-7-3) are 3-5-2 in the SEC.
"I think going into Tuscaloosa is always a very difficult place to play," said coach Karen Hoppa. "Our defense needs to have an effort like we did against Georgia for sure because they're going to be dangerous and high energy at their place."
Following a scoreless draw with the Georgia Bulldogs Thursday evening that went into double overtime and a loss to the No. 19 Tenneesee Volunteers Sunday, the Tigers are eager to bring home one final conference win to end the season.
Including Georgia, Auburn has played in seven overtime matches this season, going 2-3-2 in those seven matches. Five of those overtime matches have come in the final seven matches of the season.
And despite two ties for the season, Auburn has completed its fifth 10-win season in the last 11 years.
Auburn failed to score Sunday night after struggling offensively for the majority of the match.
The Volunteers outscored the Tigers 2-0 thanks to an effective defensive performance.
"We've got to be really good at possession so we can keep the ball for long periods of time and create quality chances," Hoppa said.
Following the shutout, Tennessee improved to 13-5-0 overall and 6-4-0 in the SEC and jumped over Auburn in the SEC standings with one regular season match remaining.
Friday could prove to be more of a challenge than the Tigers bargained for, as the Crimson Tide shut out the Volunteers 1-0 Thursday.
Alabama also tied Georgia with a score of 2-2, all the more reason for the Tigers to be determined heading into Friday night's match.
The Tigers will have to perfect their approach in order to score goals and defer others attempted by the opposing team, a task the Tigers have struggled with.
"For the Alabama game, obviously, we want to win," said sophomore defender Bianca Sierra. "I think we'll just focus on coming out hard on defense."
Following Alabama, which takes place at 7 p.m. Friday, Auburn will play Georgia for a second time Nov. 3 at the SEC tournament in Orange Beach, Ala.
The Tigers will then travel to Tallahassee, Fla., for the NCAA Tournament scheduled for Nov. 12.
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.
