The undefeated No. 6 Auburn Tigers will face the Old Dominion Monarchs on Friday for a non-conference matchup.
The Tigers are on a tear to start this season, outscoring opponents 28-0 in their first seven games of the year. Head coach Karen Hoppa puts her faith in her three offensive stars, Olivia Woodson, Anna Haddock and Shelby Sallee, who all have over 10 points this season, to keep the win streak going.
Defensively, LJ Knox— two weeks after earning SEC Defensive Player of the Week— continues to be an enforcer and lead the brick wall that is Auburn’s defense. Knox is not the only player to praise on the defensive side of the ball, as her squad has provided goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska with little action through seven games. Expect Prohaska, with a perfect save percentage and zero goals allowed, to continue to flash the leather when called upon.
As hot as Auburn is right now, Old Dominion is not a team to scoff at, hosting a 5-2 record with four shutout games to start the season. Leading scorer Rhea Kijowski will give Knox a strong battle Friday night, while defenders Ashlynn Kuhla and Grace Hillis hope to give Woodson, Haddock, and Sallee a run for their money on the other side of the ball.
While Old Dominion hopes to find a weak spot in this near perfect Auburn team to secure an upset win, they’ll have trouble finding it, as the Tigers rank either first or second in five major statistical categories on a national scale.
With a win Friday night, Auburn will be just one game shy of matching its best start in program history (9-0).
The Tigers will face off against Old Dominion on Friday, Sept. 16. The game will begin at 6:30 p.m. CST.
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Charlie is a sophomore from Mendham, New Jersey. He is majoring in journalism and started with The Plainsman in spring 2024.
