Auburn soccer visits Ole Miss

After suffering a 2-0 defeat to No. 4 Arkansas on Thursday, Auburn looks to rebound against No. 13 Ole Miss. The No. 19 Tigers are 11-4 overall and 5-3 in conference play. 

Auburn is fourth in the SEC standings, but just one game out of second place. The loss to the Razorbacks snapped a three-game winning streak for the Tigers and was Auburn’s first loss to an opponent from the SEC West.

Ole Miss is 11-3-2, with a 6-2 mark against SEC competition. The Rebels were on a four-game win streak before losing 2-1 at Missouri on Thursday. The Rebels are tied for second place in the SEC with Tennessee.

Players to Watch:

Auburn

Marissa Arias - Arias, a redshirt sophomore, is second on Auburn’s team with seven goals and 16 points. She is tied for the SEC lead, however, with five goals in conference play. Arias, whose seven goals have come within the last 10 contests, will look to lead an Auburn offense that is coming off a scoreless performance for the first time this season.

Maddie Prohaska - Auburn’s defense, led by goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska, has recorded seven shutouts this season, with five coming in conference play. Prohaska, who has started every game for the Tigers, has saved over 73% of shots taken against her. Prohaska allows an average of 0.86 goals per game, which is third-best in the SEC.

Ole Miss

Molly Martin - Martin, who leads the Rebels with eight goals this season, is tied for fifth in the SEC in goals scored. She has taken 41 shots, with 21 of them being shots on goal. If this trend continues, Auburn goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska could have a busy day trying to keep Martin off the scoreboard.

Ashley Orkus - Orkus, the Rebels’ goalkeeper, leads an Ole Miss defense that has recorded five shutouts this season. Her 18 shutouts in her career rank fourth among goalkeepers in Ole Miss history. She has saved almost 75% of shots taken against her. She will present a tough challenge for an Auburn team that was just shutout for the first time.

Keys to the Game:

Start Strong - Of the 32 goals Auburn has scored this year, only 11 came in the first half of games. This includes just three of 13 goals scored in conference play. In each of Auburn’s losses this season, Auburn failed to score in the first half. In all but one loss, the Tigers trailed at halftime. In losses to Florida State and South Carolina, the Tigers fell behind just minutes into the game and had to play from behind for almost the entire game.

If the Tigers want to have success on the road, they must have a strong start. By either scoring early in the game, or holding Ole Miss off the scoreboard in the first half, the Tigers will maximize their chances to win, as Auburn has statistically performed better in the second halves of games as opposed to the first half.

Balanced Scoring - Auburn’s last five goals, and eight of its last 11, have been scored by either Marissa Arias or Sydney Richards. While the performance of these two Tigers has been crucial during the past five games, Auburn will want other players to step up over the course of the last two regular-season games and into the SEC Tournament.

The game between the No. 19 Tigers and No. 13 Rebels will begin at 2 p.m. CST on Oct. 24 at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi. It will be streamed live on SEC Network-plus.