Auburn's defense proved to be too much for Georgia State as the Tigers went on to win 1-0 in Friday night's season opener at the Auburn soccer complex.
Despite controlling the ball for the majority of the match, it took until the 78th minute for senior forward Mary Coffed to get the ball past Panthers goalkeeper Rebecca Ingram.
"[It started with] our midfielders digging it out," Coffed said. "Ana Cate and Tatiana doing what they do and feeding it to one of our freshmen, Haley Gerken, who carried it up the field and I was able to peel wide and rip a shot."
Auburn defenders established their domination early on, allowing the offense ample scoring opportunities, ending the night with 27 shots on goal opposed to Georgia State's one.
But simply getting shots on goal is not enough if the Tigers hope to make a seventh straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
"[It's] very frustrating," Coffed said. "You know, some games you just dominate like we did, with 28 shots, but it definitely shows that we need to work on our finishing and offensive attack. It is a good team to figure out a way to get done and I think that was shown tonight a little bit, so we're excited for the win."
With junior defender Bianca Sierra and junior midfielder Ashley Kotero playing for the U-20 Mexico World Cup team, it was up to senior Mary Nicholson and the rest of the defense to step up and protect the ball.
"We were a little nervous about it," Nicholson said. "But everyone stepped up and played great. The freshman came in and it was like they've been here all year and last year. We miss them but we'll welcome them back when they get here."
Coach Karen Hoppa reiterated Nicholson's statement, giving much praise to the depth and talent the defense showed throughout the night.
"We're missing some players in the back, but I thought Mary Nicholson, our senior captain centerback, was outstanding at just keeping everybody organized and everybody calm," Hoppa said. "We played a few different people at centerback and a few people that had never played some different positions before. I thought Kala Faulkner in her first game as a freshman was outstanding. She was great defensively and also a threat offensively. I'm really, really happy with that defensive group."
Last year's top scorers, sophomore forward Tatiana Coleman and senior midfielder Ana Cate, picked up where they left off, with seven shots from Coleman and six from Cate. The duo combined for seven shots on goal.
The shutout was senior goalkeeper Amy Howard's 16th career and marks the third time in four years that she has started the season without allowing a goal.
Auburn will look to finish the weekend 2-0 as they return to the Auburn soccer complex to host High Point Sunday at 2 p.m.
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