Oct. 23, 2015
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AUBURN, Ala. - Sophomore Courtney Schell delivered home the game-winner for 15th-ranked Auburn Soccer Friday night, helping defeat Kentucky, 2-1, in a crucial late season match to keep the Tigers in the hunt for the Southeastern Conference regular-season title.
"Kentucky is a great team," Auburn head coach Karen Hoppa said. "They're an NCAA Tournament-level team and it was a tough game. To bounce back after the disappointing result at Ole Miss, I was really proud of our girls and with the way they responded. It wasn't the perfect soccer game for us, but they found a way."
Off a corner kick from junior Brooke Ramsier in the 73rd minute, Schell was able to sky above the congested box and head home a beautiful ball into the right side of the net for her second goal of the year. The goal couldn't have come at a better time midway through the second half after Kentucky equalized the match one minute into the second period.
For Schell, it was her second goal of the year, making her the seventh player on the Auburn roster with at least two goals this year.
"We had been working on corners a lot in practice this week," Schell said after the game. "Brooke sent in a perfect ball and Gianna (Montini) and I were the runners on top. We knew one of us was going to get it in."
The win ups Auburn's record to 13-3-0 overall and 6-3-0 in SEC play. The 13 wins ties for the third-most wins in a season by any Auburn team and is the most conference wins for Auburn since 2009. It also snaps a four-match losing streak the Tigers had coming in against the Wildcats in the all-time series.
Auburn got out of the blocks quick in the first half, scoring in the fourth minute off a similar play to the game-winner, but the header goal came from senior Kala Faulkner. As Ramsier sent in the nice kick from the left corner, Faulkner was able to put home the ball after several other players missed on the header attempt.
For Faulkner, it was her third goal of the year joining four other teammates that have three goals or more this season.
"It felt good to get the goal," Faulkner said. "But the credit goes to my team. We've been working really hard on corners and free kicks. Coach (Hoppa) reiterates that the service has to be good and we have to be on the end of it. For Courtney and I to do what we did tonight, it feels great."
As for Ramsier, her two assists on both goals gives her seven on the year along with 13 points. Her seven assists are now good for third in the SEC.
Auburn seemed to control the possession game for much of the night, winning the shots game, 17-11, and corners, 8-4. The difference between tonight's win and last week's loss to Ole Miss, Auburn was able to finish.
"I thought we came out playing really well," Hoppa said. "We want to have good possession. We knew Kentucky was a really dangerous team, so the more we have the ball, the less dangerous they are. Even with Kentucky's goal, it helped settle us down and get back to our game plan. We kept a lot of pressure on them and were really unlucky to not get another one at the end."
Even though Auburn gave up the tying goal in the 46th minute to the Wildcats, the Tiger defense continued to play some of its best soccer, holding Kentucky to six shots on goal. Coming in to Friday's match, Auburn had the second-lowest goals allowed (13) this season in the SEC. Along with the 0.85 goals against average, the Tigers are still on pace to have one of its best defensive seasons in program history.
"After the loss to Ole Miss, we wanted to be more together as a unit," Faulkner said. "Even though we had a let-up in the first minutes of the second half, we knew we were going to win this game and do what it took to win."
Auburn finishes its regular-season home schedule Sunday as it hosts Georgia at 2 p.m. at the AU Soccer Complex. Before Sunday's match, seniors Sophie Simantel, Kala Faulkner and Logan Beal will be honored for their contributions to the Auburn Soccer program. The game will be televised on SEC Network+, which is available via the Watch ESPN app or WatchESPN.com.
For more information on Auburn soccer, visit AuburnTigers.com, follow the team on Twitter, @AuburnSoccer or follow them on Facebook at Facebook.com/AuburnSoccer.