In Auburn's third SEC match of the season, the Tigers traveled to Oxford, Mississippi, to face the Ole Miss Rebels and fought to a 0-0 draw to earn one point in the conference standings.
Auburn didn't allow the Rebels to record a single shot on goal in the second half as the defensive performance marked the Tigers fourth shutout of the season and their first in conference play.
The shutout marked Maddie Prohaska's 23rd clean sheet in an Auburn uniform, the third most in program history.
“It was nice to get back on a shutout,” Prohaska said. “Our d-team has been working really hard to get back and put up another one, so I’m glad it came to fruition. Obviously, we still have to put a complete game together on both ends of the ball, but overall, we’re walking away with a point on the road, which is not an easy task in SEC play.”
The Rebels were outdone by Auburn 14-7 on shots and 5-2 in shots on goal. The two allowed shots on goal by Auburn marked the least conceded by the Tigers' defense since Oct. 23, 2022 when the Tigers faced LSU.
Auburn head coach Karen Hoppa walked away from the game with a positive outlook.
“Certainly would’ve rather taken a win, but we’re not mad about earning a point on the road,” Hoppa said. “Happy with how we played in the second half. We struggled at the beginning of the game, but we grew into it and got control at the end of the first half. We came out of the break great and gave ourselves multiple chances. Credit to the Ole Miss keeper for making some great saves.”
Auburn's best chance of the game came in the 49th minute when senior Anna Haddock fed fifth-year Sydney Richards on a free kick from outside the box. Richards got her head on the ball, but the Ole Miss goalkeeper made a diving save to keep the score level.
Redshirt freshman Dylan Driver started the second half at left forward and played a career-high 53 minutes.
Auburn is at home this upcoming Friday, Sept. 29 at 6:30 pm CST to battle against South Carolina. The game will be televised on SEC Network+.
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Jakai Spikes, senior in Journalism, is a writer at The Auburn Plainsman.
