Sept. 26, 2014
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Auburn University soccer team picked up its first point of conference play Friday night, battling Vanderbilt to a scoreless draw after 110 minutes of play didn't yield a goal for either team. It's Auburn's second-straight match that has gone into overtime and is the Tigers' first tie of the 2014 season.
Auburn's overall record moves to 6-3-1, while its conference record is now 0-1-1. For Vanderbilt, it is now 5-4-1 overall and 0-1-1 in the Southeastern Conference.
"The positive is we got a point in conference play," Auburn head coach Karen Hoppa said. "The negative is we thought we let one get away, especially after that first half when we had so many first chances. We had a chance to go into halftime with a lead and we didn't and in my opinion, it's what lost us the game."
For the fifth time this season, redshirt sophomore Alyse Scott recorded the shutout as Auburn's defense limited Vanderbilt to 15 shots, 10 of which were on target. Scott's 10 saves is a new career-high after she tallied seven last season against Kentucky.
Auburn's defense limited Vanderbilt's playmakers all night with only two players notching more than two shots. For Coach Hoppa, she believes it was one of Auburn's better defensive performances.
"The defense was great," Hoppa said. "That was one of our best defensive performances of the year. Alyse (Scott) was great. I thought she had the one big-time save in the second half. Apart from that, the defense never gave them anything too dangerous, especially against a top-level offense like Vanderbilt. I'm really proud of the way our defense played."
Offensively, sophomore Casie Ramsier led the shot totals for both teams, kicking seven with five finding the target. The seven shots is a new season-high for the Texas-native with five coming in the second half.
Freshman Kristen Dodson had the second most shots in the game, coming in with three, but none were able to find the goal. Late in the second overtime period, Dodson had a header from five yards out go just over the cross bar, which ended up being the only shot of the period for either team.
As a team, the Tigers had 10 shots in each halves of regulation, but the Dodson header was the only tally in either overtime period. Vanderbilt had two shots on target in the first overtime period, but Scott was there to make the save both times.
Auburn continues its roadtrip on Sunday when it travels to Lexington, Ky., to take on the Kentucky Wildcats with first kick slated for 5 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on SEC Network+ on the WatchESPN app or WatchESPN.com.
Live stats will also be provided on AuburnTigers.com and a complete recap with box score will be posted online shortly after the match.
For more information on Auburn soccer, visit AuburnTigers.com, follow the team on Twitter, @AuburnSoccer or follow them on Facebook at Facebook.com/AuburnSoccer.