Oct. 23, 2014
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AUBURN, Ala. - A strong offensive attack propelled the Auburn soccer team to its third win in its last four matches Thursday night as the Tigers defeated Mississippi State 2-0 at the Auburn Soccer Complex.
The Tigers (9-5-3, 3-3-3 SEC) controlled the match from start to finish, posting 24 shots, 13 of which were on frame. Auburn head coach Karen Hoppa was pleased with offensive threat her team posed tonight.
"I was not pleased with the first half, but we came to play in the second half," Hoppa said. "We dominated the match, but we are certainly happy with the win at this time of the year.
Auburn opened the scoring with sixteen minutes remaining in the first half as Casie Ramsier rifled a shot past Mississippi State (3-13-0, 0-9-0 SEC) goalkeeper Rhylee DeCrane. Auburn made a nice play in the middle of its own attacking zone after some crisp passes from freshmen Courtney Schell and Hannah Alspach. Ramsier saw the opportunity after beating a defender on a nice move to get the score. The goal was the sophomore's fourth of the season.
The Tigers doubled their lead just three minutes into the second half as senior Tori Ball slotted home her third goal of the season from 10 yards out. Auburn on the counter attack in the 48th minute, once again, found the players it needed with perfect passing from Ramsier and Alspach. Ball streaked down the sideline and found an opening in the net 10 yards out.
Ball now has three goals this season, giving her 19 for her Auburn career. If she can get one more she will join only eight other Tigers to have 20 or more goals in their career.
The defense also had a strong outing Thursday night, allowing only eight shots in the match, four of which were on goal.
Redshirt-sophomore goalkeeper Alyse Scott posted her seventh shutout of the year, tying her for fifth on the single-season records list.
The victory puts the Tigers in a good position to control their own destiny as they look to secure a 14th straight appearance in the SEC Tournament in Orange Beach, Ala.
The team is back in action on Sunday as Auburn hosts cross-state rival Alabama in the 2014 Iron Bowl of College Soccer. The match kicks off at 3 p.m. on the SEC Network.
"We are already thinking about them," Hoppa said." With only a 2-0 lead, we had to make srue we took care of business. But the second the whistle blew, we were already thinking about that game. The Iron Bowl is huge, and this one will have a lot of postseason ramifications."
For more information on Auburn soccer, visit AuburnTigers.com, follow the team on Twitter, @AuburnSoccer or follow them on Facebook at Facebook.com/AuburnSoccer.