Auburn soccer falls at Ohio State

In its final non-conference game of the season, Auburn soccer made the trip to Columbus, Ohio and fell 2-0 to Ohio State. This was the first meeting between Auburn and Ohio State in soccer. 

Auburn held the Buckeyes scoreless for the last 67 minutes of the match but was unable to get any offense. Ohio State scored first in the 16th minute and once more in the 23rd. 

“Really disappointed by our first half more so than the result,” said head coach Karen Hoppa. “We came out really flat and really slow, and Ohio State is too good of a team to do that. I loved our second half though. We had great fight." 

Auburn played West Virginia on Thursday, and that game ended in a 1-1 tie. Today, Auburn was unable to get the offense rolling, as Ohio State kept the Tigers off the board.

Seniors Sydney Richards and Maddie Simpson, junior Carly Thatcher and freshman Olivia Woodson accounted for the Tigers’ on-goal opportunities. However, none of the Tigers put the ball into the goal. 

Goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska picked up a trio of saves in the contest.

Auburn freshman Jessica Osborne made her collegiate debut today. Osborne played 47 minutes during the match. Haley Duca, and Maquena O’Callaghan also had career highs in minutes played. 

"We had some young kids. like Jess (Osborne), step up," Hoppa said. "That kind of grit and fight is what we’re going to need as we head into SEC play.”

With this result, Auburn finishes its non-conference schedule with a 4-2-2 record. Auburn traveled to four road stadiums, playing ACC, Big Ten and Big 12 schools.

Next up for Auburn will be SEC play, as it begins with the Tigers heading to Mississippi State Friday for their SEC opener. The game at Starkville, Mississippi is set for 6:30 p.m. CST on SEC Network+.