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A spirit that is not afraid

Auburn remains undefeated; upsets No. 12 Georgia on the road

Sep 18, 2020; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn soccer players greet each other during warm-ups before the match between Auburn and Mississippi State at Auburn Soccer Complex. Photo via Shanna Lockwood/AU Athletics
Sep 18, 2020; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn soccer players greet each other during warm-ups before the match between Auburn and Mississippi State at Auburn Soccer Complex. Photo via Shanna Lockwood/AU Athletics

Auburn is the lone undefeated team in the SEC, as the Tigers gutted out a 1-0 win in Athens, Georgia, against the No. 12 Bulldogs on Sunday.

Blocking 21 shots and playing the final 35 minutes of the contest a man down, the Tigers won their first game against a top 15 opponent since 2016. 

The shutout victory marks the second in a row for Auburn, following its double-overtime victory against Ole Miss on Tuesday. 

10 minutes into the second half, freshman goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska was ejected after earning a red card. Three minutes later, Sydney Richards netted the game-winning goal on a penalty kick. 

"It was a wild one, for sure," head coach Karen Hoppa said. "Red card, PK, defended like crazy. It definitely ranks up there just with this team gutting out a performance like that – a man down against an undefeated, top 15 Georgia team. That's a big one, and I'm really proud of the girls' effort."

Playing in place of Prohaska was graduate transfer, Dani Kaufman, making her Auburn debut. In 35 minutes of game time, Kaufman made six saves and even tipped a potential game-tying goal away from the net with five minutes remaining. 

"It's just the next-man-up mentality that Ben (Madsen) and Coach (Hoppa) have been preaching to us," Kaufman said. "This season alone has been so unpredictable. I just appreciate that my teammates have my back and my coaches have my back. This was a complete team effort. We gutted it out."

Prohaska and Kaufman combined for the shutout. In regular play this season, Auburn has not allowed a single goal. 

"This is where our depth really showed out," Hoppa said. "We had some unbelievable performances off the bench. Obviously, ranking right up there at the top was Dani Kaufman. What an unbelievable performance by her."

Tied going into the second half, the Tigers had to play aggressive. Winning a pair of corner kicks early, the team had nothing to show for it until Anna Haddock launched a free-kick to M.E Craven, who earned a penalty in the box while running to the net. 

The ensuing penalty kick, Richards stepped up and blasted it home. 

The Tigers (2-0-1) return to the pitch next Saturday, against winless Kentucky (0-3-2) at the Auburn Soccer Complex. 


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