Sept. 19, 2008
AUBURN, Ala. -
Junior Chelsea Yauch collected her second game-winning goal in as many games and Rebecca Howell had a goal and an assist as Auburn closed out its non-conference season with a 3-0 win over Samford on Friday night at the Auburn Soccer Complex.
Yauch, who collected the game-winner just 6:31 in on Sunday against Marquette, needed just 8:34 to put Auburn (4-4-1) in front on Friday. The scoring play was set up by a Samford (1-7-0) foul, allowing Jenn Johnson to take a free kick from 10 yards past the midfield stripe. Her long-range free kick went to the head of Katy Frierson, who flicked it to an uncovered Yauch, who buried it from inside the six.
"My team is clicking right now," Yauch said. "We need to attack and we need to get goals and that has been the difference the last few games. I am real excited about the SEC season and I am ready to play."
"It's great when you score early, especially when the first goal of the game gives us a lot of positive energy," Auburn Head Coach Karen Hoppa said. "Being able to score right out of halftime and to be able to separate ourselves from Samford was really important."
Howell wasted little time after the half to give Auburn a comfortable lead as she put in her second goal of the season off of a Frierson corner kick in the 50th minute.
Monica Afanador iced the game with her second goal of the season in the 83rd minute, one-timing in a Howell feed from just outside the six.
"Becca drove it up the line and found a great seam before playing me the ball," Afanador said. "All I could do was put it away with my left foot."
The assist was the fifth of the season and the 13th of Howell's career, moving her into a three-way tie for 10th on the Auburn career assists list.
"When you keep the other team off the board it just gives our offense more confidence," Hoppa said of the defense posting a shutout.
Goalkeeper Allison Whitworth set the defensive tone early as she nullified Samford's best scoring chance just over six minutes into the contest when she stopped Sarah Wilkinson's shot from inside the six after she split a pair of Auburn defenders. The save was the first of five on the night for Whitworth, who posted her 17th career shutout.
Auburn finished the night with 17 shots to Samford's eight and took eight corners to Samford's seven.
Auburn will resume action on Friday night, Sept. 26th when it plays its SEC opener at Kentucky at 6pm CT.