Sept. 13, 2015
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AUBURN, Ala. - After suffering its first loss of the year at the hands of Missouri last Friday, the 9th-ranked Auburn soccer team was determined to not have a letdown in its non-conference finale Sunday with South Alabama. Auburn showed no signs of a letdown, responding from a Jaguar goal within minutes to score two of its own on the way to a 2-1 victory at the AU Soccer Complex.
The win moves Auburn's record to 7-1-0 on the year and keeps the Tigers' record at home at a perfect 7-0-0. Sunday's win also marked a perfect 7-0-0 record through the entire non-conference schedule of the 2015, a first for the Auburn soccer program.
Goals from freshman Taylor Troutman and junior Casie Ramsier were just what Auburn called up after conceding the only goal for South Alabama. Just four minutes of game time separated all three goals Sunday night as Troutman scored the first of her career, followed by the fourth of the season by Ramsier.
Midway through the first half, South Alabama jumped on the Tigers early with a goal off a corner kick from Jemma Purfield, where Hannah Godfrey finished it home, but only three minutes separated South Alabama's lone goal and Auburn's first goal.
In the 25th minute, sophomore Ellie Leek got Auburn on the counter attack, moving the ball quickly up the right side. A solid cross came in and found Troutman on the other side of the box. Troutman skied and headed in the ball into the reverse side of the net, tying the game at 1-1.
It was the New Jersey-native's first goal of the season and Leek's team-leading fourth assist of the season.
Auburn wasn't finished. Not long after the Troutman goal in the 26th minute, Leek, again, put Auburn on the counter after an interception at midfield. Leek had the vision to see Troutman sprinting up the sideline to her left, feeding her the ball with no defenders around.
Troutman took the ball all the way to the end line before crossing it back into the eight-yard box, where Ramsier completed the play with a header that deflected off the keeper and into the net.
Ramsier continues to score goals at a fast pace this season, now with a team-leading four on the year and tonight's goal being her first game-winner of the year. As for Leek, she is still without a goal this year, but has an astounding five assists and is the only Auburn player with more than one assist this year.
Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the second half, but the final 45 minutes didn't come without its exciting moments. 11 combined fouls were called in the second-half including two yellow cards, one given to each side.
Both teams each recorded 13 shots in the contest and both had five shots on goal. Both Ramsier and Troutman had two on target, while on the flip side, South Alabama had four different players with a shot on goal.
Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Sarah Le Beau made two saves Sunday night in her seventh win of the year. Le Beau now has 24 saves this season.
Post-game Quotes from head coach Karen Hoppa and selected players:
Head coach Karen Hoppa on her team's victory over South Alabama:
"Credit to South Alabama, they're a great team that's been to the last two NCAA Tournaments. They played like it tonight and made us work for everything. It was a really physical and intense game. I thought our team responded really well after the Missouri loss. They battled through some adversity and found a way to get a result."
Head coach Karen Hoppa on bouncing back from the loss at Missouri on Friday:
"We learned a lot from the Missouri game. We just weren't ready for that. It's one of those things that happens and you have to learn from it. We have to make sure it doesn't bring us down and we get better. I thought the girls had a great response to it tonight with the way they played."
Head coach Karen Hoppa on finishing the non-conference schedule strong and playing conference opponents the rest of the season:
"It's all SEC matches from here on out. We have to take it one game at a time because every game deserves a playoff mentality. What we learned from Missouri is what we need to take into the next game. We can't take any plays off. We can't take anything for granted and we have to fight for everything. South Alabama really made us work tonight. Hopefully, this game will help get us prepared for next weekend at Tennessee."
Junior Casie Ramsier on responding after Friday's loss at Missouri:
"We knew we needed to start fast in this match (South Alabama). Friday night, we didn't start fast and it put us in a lot of trouble. We knew we needed to come out with energy. We went down 1-0 early, but we responded quickly and dealt with that adversity. I think that was huge for the team."
Junior Casie Ramsier on getting Auburn's second goal to take the lead into halftime:
"It was massive. It brings our energy up and lets us know that we can play our game the rest of the way. It made us much more comfortable in that second half."
Junior Casie Ramsier on looking toward the rest of the conference schedule:
"The rest of the schedule isn't going to be easy. We learned at Missouri that stuff is going to happen. We're going to have to learn how to deal with it. This week is going to be about getting ready to grind out the rest of this season and get in that right mindset that wins aren't going to come easy."
Turning Point
When South Alabama scored in the 22nd minute, Auburn was down, 1-0, midway through the first half and needed a quick response. Hard to get much quicker than getting an equalizer three minutes later from Taylor Troutman. Auburn one-upped the equalizer and scored in the next minute on a header from Casie Ramsier after a great counter attack started by Ellie Leek. The goal ended up being the game-winner and gave Auburn the 2-1 lead at halftime.
Up Next
Auburn hits the road again as it travels to Knoxville, Tenn., to take on the Volunteers on Sunday, Sept. 20 at 2 p.m. The game will be Auburn's first on the SEC Network this season, available on your television and online at WatchESPN.com. or your Watch ESPN app.
For more information on Auburn soccer, visit AuburnTigers.com, follow the team on Twitter, @AuburnSoccer or follow them on Facebook at Facebook.com/AuburnSoccer.