AUBURN Ala. — Thanks to the boot of freshman Olivia Woodson, Auburn soccer cruised past American Sunday, picking up a 3-0 win at the Auburn Soccer Complex. Woodson scored her first and second career goals in the match to lock up the brace.
"I've been waiting, game-to-game, to put one in the back of the net," Woodson said. "To finally get in there feels refreshing. I just wanted to give the team my all with whatever minutes I had on the field today."
Overall, the Tigers created a season-high 20 chances and stuck 10 of them on frame. It is the first time Auburn has taken 20 shots since ripping off 25 against UMass Lowell on Sept. 8, 2022. Aiding Woodson in the attack was redshirt-freshman Dylan Driver, who also netted the first goal of her collegiate career.
Depth was a friend of the Tigers on the day as five of the six players who got on the offensive scoresheet entered the match off the bench.
Auburn created three corner kicks courtesy of Woodson, Sydney Richards and Maddy Bondon. American forced a trio of corners as well but was held dormant by the Orange & Blue defense as they were only able to muster up three shots.
Senior Maddie Prohaska and graduate student Maddie Lo split in-net duties with Prohaska taking the bulk of the load. Prohaska saved both on-target shots she faced. She now has 11 saves this season and 203 in her tenure.
"Really happy with a 3-0 result today," Auburn head coach Karen Hoppa said. "To get half of our shots on-goal is a great rate to have, and it's also wonderful to add two new goal-scorers to our team. We had a strong overall team showing today, but It's really encouraging to watch some of these youngsters come up in the big moments."
Both squads battled back and forth for the opening 37 minutes, but it was in the 38th minute that Auburn jumped ahead for good, courtesy of Woodson. On the Tigers' first corner kick of the game, junior Sydnie Thibodaux served a ball into the box that was pushed out to the arc where Woodson was waiting for the one-touch, right-footed finish up the middle and into the back of the net.
The goal marked the first time a true Auburn rookie had scored in a match since Aug. 21, 2022, when Hayden Colson found one against Southern Miss.
Less than six minutes later, Driver doubled Auburn's lead with her first career goal to end the half. Sophomore Erin Houston initiated the play by making a run up the right side of the 18 and flicking the ball to redshirt-senior Becky Contreras at right post. Contreras ripped off a strike that was blocked by an Eagles defender, but Driver handled the deflection and issued a left-footed strike that that caught the underside of the crossbar and bounced past the opposing keeper.
On the play, Contreras collected her first assist as a Tiger and the sixth her collegiate career.
Woodson put the nail in the coffin 74th minute thanks to a beautiful cross via Anna Haddock from the right edge of the 18. Haddock's ball found Woodson making a run on left post. The Richmond, Virginia native stuck a header on the ball to bend it just inside the post for her second goal of the afternoon.
Haddock notched her third assist of the season on the delivery. Now, with 27 assists in her span as a Tiger, she jumps Brooke Ramsier (2013-16) to become fifth all-time in school history.
Next, the Tigers take an extended stay on the road as they will trek to West Virginia Thursday, Sept. 7 for a 6 p.m. CT matchup on ESPN+. Auburn will also visit Ohio State and Mississippi State before returning to the Auburn Soccer Complex for its SEC home opener versus Missouri Thursday, Sept. 21 at 6:30 p.m. CT.
