Oct. 16, 2017
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Coming off a pair of conference wins against Alabama and No. 10 Florida, Kristen Dodson has been named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week and Alyssa Malonson has earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors, league officials announced Monday.
The Player of the Week award is the second of Dodson's career and the Freshman of the Week honor is the first for Malonson. The awards also mark the first time since the 2015 season the Tigers earned a pair of honors in the same week.
Dodson paced the Auburn attack in both matches last week as she turned in her sixth career brace and third of the season at Alabama and scored her 10th career game-winning goal against Florida. She leads the team in both goals (eight) and points (19) while also ranking tied for fourth and sixth, respectively, in the conference. Additionally, five of her goals this season have come in the last five matches.
The Aurora, Ill., native got the Tigers' offense going in the later stages of the first half against the Crimson Tide as she capped off a beautiful scoring sequence with a diving header into the back of the net. Minutes into the second half, Dodson received a through ball from Ellie Leek behind the Crimson Tide defense and recorded the brace with a right-footed strike.
Capping off the week, Dodson again found herself behind the opposing defense as she corralled an over-the-top pass from Malonson and beat the Florida goalkeeper on the near side to account for the scoring in the 1-0 win. Dodson's goal in the 53rd minute against the Gators moved the senior forward into fourth in program history with 85 career points. Her 10 game-winning goals are also good for fourth all-time.
"Kristen was dominant in both games last week," head coach Karen Hoppa said. "She not only scored the three goals, but also created so many dangerous opportunities."
Like Dodson, Malonson contributed to the Tigers' scoring against Alabama and Florida as she registered an assist in back-to-back matches. She leads the team and ranks tied for sixth in the conference with six assists this season.
The freshman defender helped put Auburn's fifth straight Iron Bowl win away as she assisted on the team's fourth and final goal of the evening, which marked the Tigers' highest offensive output of the season. After beating a Crimson Tide defender around the left edge, Malonson found Dani Solaru streaking towards the goal, and the sophomore forward finished the play with a sliding left-footer.
Sunday afternoon, Malonson not only helped the Auburn defense pitch its sixth shutout of the season and fourth in SEC play against the Gators, but also played the aforementioned pass from near midfield to Dodson inside of the box, who converted the game-winner.
"Alyssa played a major role for us on both sides of the ball this week," Hoppa said. "Her two assists were huge, and she stepped up defensively by shutting down her side of the field."
Malonson and the Auburn back line, including goalkeeper Sarah Le Beau, rank tied for second in the SEC in shutouts, third in goals against average (0.67) and tied for third in goals allowed (five) during conference play.
The Tigers head to Oxford, Miss., for a matchup against Ole Miss Thursday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. CT. Auburn caps off the week by hosting LSU Sunday, Oct. 22 at 5 p.m. Senior Day at the Auburn Soccer Complex will be broadcasted on ESPNU.