After finishing the regular season 11-6-3, the Auburn women's soccer team anxiously watched the NCAA Selection Show, waiting for its name to be called out.
Finally, Auburn heard its name in the last bracket of the announcement, and the team erupted in joy, especially after failing to make the NCAA Tournament last season.
"We were watching last year, and we were disappointed we didn't see our names on it," junior Kala Faulkner said. "We came into this season with our theme being focusing on each game, and seeing our hard work pay off is really nice."
The Tigers will take on Florida Gulf Coast on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in Fort Myers, Florida. The Eagles ended the season 17-3 and were champions of the Atlantic Sun Conference.
Auburn ended the season on a hot streak, winning the final four regular season games before falling to Kentucky in the SEC Tournament, and Hoppa thinks her team is hitting stride at the right time.
"We've improved every weekend, I think that has been a key to our season," Hoppa said. "Obviously our late season results are what solidified our NCAA bid, so it's been our goal with this young group to get better from game in, game out. I think we're playing our best soccer right now."
If the Tigers hope to keep the momentum going, Hoppa says they are going to have to rely on their veteran players to guide her young team.
"The post-season experience is critical," Hoppa said. "We only have eight players on our roster that have been to the NCAA Tournament before, so we're really going to rely on that group for their experience."
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.
