AUBURN, Ala. – Freshman Sydney Richards scored a pair of goals as Auburn concluded exhibition play with a 3-0 shutout win against Mercer Friday night at the Auburn Soccer Complex.
With the win, the Tigers conclude exhibition with a pair of shutout wins after a 1-0 victory at Kennesaw State Tuesday.
"The good thing is we were better tonight than we were against Kennesaw," head coach Karen Hoppa said. "We were at home. We were more comfortable. There were certain things we wanted to build on from Tuesday, and I thought we did that."
Richards turned in the aforementioned brace, while Angeline Daly capped off the scoring in the contest with a goal of her own.
"It was very exciting," Richards said of her two goals. "Honestly, I didn't expect that to happen, because I'm just trying to get used to the team. I'm new, but it was the best feeling because know I'm confident and know I can do it."
The Tigers struck first midway through the first half as Richards found the back of the net for the first time of her career on Caroline Peterson's second assist of the preseason.
Richards broke free again in the 48th minute as Peterson and Bri Folds assisted double the Tigers advantage.
Minutes later, Daly capped off the scoring for Auburn as she ripped a shot from just inside the 18-yard box on a ball played in from Treva Aycock.
On the opposite end, goalkeepers Maggie Van Thullenar and Kate Hart combined in net to keep the Bears off the scoreboard and pitch the Tigers second straight shutout.
For Auburn, 19 players saw action in the first game on The Plains in 2019. The Tigers outshot the Bears 24-3 as Auburn controlled the possession throughout the contest.
The Tigers begin the 2019 regular season with a matchup at South Florida on Thursday, Aug. 22. The team will take on Syracuse in its home opener on Thursday, Sept. 5 at 6:30 p.m.