Following its SEC Championship victory Sunday in Orange Beach, Ala., with a 3-2 victory over Florida, the No. 3 Auburn soccer team was selected as a first-round host for the 2011 NCAA Tournament this weekend.
"We are all incredibly excited," said senior defender Julie King. "The way that we won the (SEC) tournament was awesome--two shutouts and a win versus Florida. I couldn't think of a better story. We are excited to host. We love playing at home, and we hope we can get the win on Saturday."
Auburn, the automatic qualifier from the SEC, will face Utah State, the automatic qualifier from the Western Athletic Conference, Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Auburn Soccer Complex.
"We are real excited to be playing at home on Saturday night," said coach Karen Hoppa. "We hope to get a good crowd. Anyone that is not in Athens, Ga., for the Auburn-Georgia football game, we hope they will come out at 7 o'clock on Saturday."
Among the 16 seeded teams competing, eight are from the SEC. Auburn, Arkansas, LSU, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennesee and Kentucky will all have a shot at the 2011 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship title.
"The conference is the best it has ever been," Hoppa said. "Eight teams is the most we have ever gotten into a single NCAA Tournament. The last highest was six. It's the best year we have ever had, and it does speak volumes to what our team is capable of."
Despite tough competition ahead, the Tigers are hopeful they'll be able to withstand any obstacles.
"Our conference this year was unbelievable," said junior goalkeeper Amy Howard. "Every single game this year was a battle. It shows with eight teams getting in that anything is possible."
During the regular season the Tigers lost to opponents Wake Forest, Mississippi State, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee and rival Alabama. Auburn tied Memphis and Colorado.
"We had an up-and-down SEC season," said junior midfielder Ana Cate. "To finish strong like we did and beat three awesome teams gives us a lot of momentum going into Saturday."
The opportunity to host marks Auburn's third in school history, as the University was selected in both 2004 and 2008.
Auburn will enter the tournament 14-6-2, above Utah State, who holds a 15-4-2 record.
It is the Tigers' 10th overall and sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. Opponent Utah State will be making its NCAA Tournament debut.
The Auburn-Utah State winner will face the winner of the Maryland (10-5-4) vs. La Salle (15-13) match in the second round of the tournament.
Tickets to the match between Auburn and Utah State are now on sale. General admission is $10, and tickets for University students with a valid student ID and youths are $3.
The first 100 Auburn University students will receive complimentary admission.
Tickets can be purchased at the Auburn Arena ticket office and will also be available at the Auburn Soccer Complex beginning at 5 p.m. Saturday.
Additionally, a viewing party and tailgate for the Auburn-Georgia football game will be held Saturday outside the Soccer Complex.
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.
