Juniors Treva Aycock and Bri Folds made the difference for Auburn on offense, scoring in the first ten minutes and final ten minutes of the game, respectively, as No. 17 Auburn beat Cal State Fullerton 2-0 to keep its perfect 5-0-0 record intact Friday night at Titan Stadium in Fullerton, California.
Aycock scored her second goal of the season while Folds' goal gives her four on the season, a team high this year.
"Both (Aycock and Folds) are really dynamic attacking players," Auburn head coach Karen Hoppa said. "They're players we're going to rely on all year to create and score opportunities for us."
Auburn’s first scoring chance came in the ninth minute as Aycock received a pass from Alyssa Malonson inside the box and beat a Fullerton defender before scoring with her right foot. Malonson has been in a giving mood as of late; her assist total is now at three and all have come in the last three games.
"It was great to get an early goal and start the game off that way," Aycock said. "It was an all-around team effort tonight and we can only just look forward and focus on the next game. We're young and have a lot of learning to do still, but we're excited about what we can do."
Auburn improved to 5-0-0 on the season for the fifth time in program history. Auburn has outscored its opponents 18-2 this season and the shutout is the third of the season. For senior goalkeeper Sarah Le Beau, the shutout is the 24th of her career.
"Fullerton has a great team and that was a really tough game," Hoppa said. "To get that first goal eight minutes in really gave us a lot of confidence. We're really happy with our team grinding it out on the road."
Fullerton had a chance to tie the game in the 25th minute, but Malonson had a deflection in front of the goal to maintain Auburn’s lead. Alyssa led the defense and was a key factor in all three phases of the game.
"Alyssa was terrific today and really a difference maker for us," Hoppa added. "She made some key tackles and tracked some players down from out of nowhere. She made a huge difference all game long."
Sara Le Beau and rest of the Auburn defense held strong and defended against 13 shots, including eight in the second half before Folds' goal put the game away in the 82nd minute. Taylor Troutman played a long pass down the middle of the field from beyond the midline, then Jessie Gerow flicked it inside in the box to Folds who put in the back of the net to put Auburn up by two goals.
Eight of Auburn’s 15 players that saw action in the game played all 90 minutes.
Auburn will stay in California and face off against Long Beach State (3-2-0) this Sunday at 7 p.m. CST. The game will be broadcast on Big West TV.
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