Auburn, Ala. – Auburn soccer kicks off the 2022 preseason schedule with a pair of exhibition matches on Monday and Saturday. First, the Tigers will host Georgia Southern at the Auburn Soccer Complex Aug. 8 at 6:30 p.m. CT, and will then trek to Memphis, Tennessee to face off against the University of Memphis Aug. 13 at 6 p.m. CT.
The 2022 season will mark the 30th in program history and the 24th under the leadership of head coach Karen Hoppa.
"Last season we took a huge step forward and had a great regular season," Hoppa said. "Then, we limped into postseason a little banged up and got upset in the first round, so we all feel a sense of unfinished business from the 2021 season."
Auburn's opening bout versus Georgia Southern will consist of three 30-minute periods while its match at Memphis will follow the NCAA standard, two 45-minute periods format.
"These games will give us a lot of crucial information about our team early on," Hoppa said. "We've got two main goals that we're looking to accomplish. For the players it's just getting comfortable on the field playing someone other than your teammates that you aren't going be quite as familiar with, and for us coaches, it's going to be figuring those starters, our best eleven, and then what type of depth we have trickling down from there."
As a team, the Tigers' roster is made up of 29 players, including 12 underclassmen and 17 upperclassmen. All SEC performers Anna Haddock and Marissa Arias are both set to return to the pitch for their third seasons in the Orange & Blue.
Statistically, Auburn returns 10 of 11 players who started at least 12 games last season. The returning group features a plethora of offensive experience, accounting for 33 of 37 goals scored, 36 of 44 assists and 102 of 118 points scored last year. Junior goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska also returns after starting all 20 games a season ago.
Admission to all games at the Auburn Soccer Complex are free and open to the public.