Aug 17, 2013
AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn soccer team jumped to an early lead and went on to beat Memphis 4-1 in exhibition action Saturday at the Auburn Soccer Complex. Sophomore Haley Gerken paced the Tigers with two goals.
"I thought we played very well tonight," Auburn coach Karen Hoppa said. "We saw a lot of improvement from the first day of practice. We had a quality opponent tonight in Memphis, and I am really proud of the way everyone came out and competed."
With a team that lost six starters from a year ago and is heavy on freshmen and sophomores, Hoppa was pleased.
"I am really proud of the freshmen and the way they played tonight," said Hoppa. "As young as we are, we really needed this game. Coming out of it, I feel good about having another week of practice. We had a good match against an outside opponent, and we know some things we need to work on."
Gerken got the scoring going early, taking a pass off Maddie Barnes in a 2-on-1 situation to put Auburn up 1-0 in the 12th minute of the game. Freshman Casie Ramsier followed up with another goal 16 minutes later, picking up a rebound off a Kala Faulknershot to put the Tigers up 2-0.
Gerken struck early again in the second half, taking a cross from Ramsier on the left side and going opposite corner on the goal for a 3-0 lead.
Chelsea Gandy-Cromer extended the lead to 4-0 in the 59th minute, breaking away down the center of the field for an unassisted goal.
Auburn held the shutout until the 71st minute, when Honeye Heydari scored Memphis' lone goal to cut the lead to 4-1.
Auburn's three goalkeepers split time, with Alyse Scott getting the start and the first 30 minutes. Kelly Neeb followed in relief for the next 30 minutes and transfer Alicen Wright finished out the game.
Auburn will open the regular season Friday, hosting Clemson at the Auburn Soccer Complex. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Admission is free.