No. 22 Auburn (3-0-3) broke its three-game tie streak by taking down the Army Black Knights (1-3-2) 1-0 with the Tigers' first goal in two games.
On Sunday afternoon, the two clubs took the field in adverse weather conditions, with it raining off-and-on throughout the game.
Despite the unfortunate conditions, the offense came out strong, outshooting Army 6-2 while also keeping the game on Army’s half of the field for most of the half.
However, as the game progressed, more turnovers began to happen, and the speed of the game decreased dramatically. Due to the slow pace and turnovers, it quickly became a more defensive game.
Defender and captain for today’s game, Hailey Whitaker, stepped up and truly took on the role as captain; she effectively gained the possession back and continuously fed the ball to the offense.
“They really needed a team player, and I needed to step up into my leadership role and help the team out,” Whitaker said.
After thirty minutes, Auburn got a corner kick. M.E. Craven, a defender, headed the ball into the back of the net, putting the Tigers on the board and ending the two-game scoring drought.
The Black Knight’s offense played more aggressively in the second half. They kept more of the game on Auburn’s half of the field and doubled their shots from the first half from two to four.
They kept the pace up, trying to create plays and striking both offensively and defensively. Auburn had 11 shots in the second half, but no goals were made. Additionally, the Tigers made had a numerous amount of subbing in the second half, possibly due to the fast pace that the Black Knight played at. Auburn ended up playing 22 players, including 11 substitutes.
Erin Houston (#28) dribbles the ball past two defenders in a match between Auburn and Army on Sep. 4, 2022.
In a previous interview, Auburn head coach Karen Hoppa stated that the defense “has really kept us in ballgames,” and that was evident today. Army remained scoreless after six shots, two being on goal, and the Tigers recorded their third straight shutout game, making it the fifth time of the season that goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska has kept the ball out of the net.
Overall, the defense kept up their domination, and the offensive did not let up, getting off a total of seventeen shots the whole game.
Auburn has its next game this Thursday against UMass Lowell (2-3) at the Auburn Soccer Complex at 6:30 p.m. CST. The match will be streamed on SECN+.
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Amanda Davidson is a sophomore at Auburn, majoring in journalism and minoring in marketing and studio arts. From LaGrange, Ga., she started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
Twitter: @Manny1Davidson
