AUBURN, Ala. — It was a spring season full of learning, growing and success as the Tigers of Auburn soccer concluded their exhibition slate with a 4-1 overall record.
"Overall, we were really pleased with how our group competed this spring," Tigers head coach Karen Hoppa said. "The team developed tremendously on the offensive side of the ball. We improved in our possession and our combination play as well as our ability to create quality chances. If we can build off this effort, we're in for a really exciting fall."
Auburn kickstarted the spring with a 2-0 win over Jacksonville State. Next, the Orange & Blue shut out another in-state opponent in a 3-0 blanking of South Alabama. The level of competition increased when the Tigers headed to Ole Miss and left with a strong 2-1 victory. In the spring's penultimate matchup, Auburn trekked to the home of the reigning SEC Tournament Champions, Georgia, and walked out with a convincing 3-0 win. Finally, it was a Tiger-on-Tiger clash to conclude the season as Auburn ventured to a Clemson program that is fresh off a Final Four appearance and fell in a tight 1-2 battle.
As a team, the Tigers outscored their opponents 11-3 and recorded 37 offensive points with the help of 15 assists. Auburn also created 22 attacking corner kicks and ripped off 83 shots, 38 of which came on frame.
All 25 active members of the Tigers' roster saw time in the matches with 18 different players earning a start. The foursome of center backs LJ Knox and Jessica Osborne and forwards Dylan Driver and Shelby Sallee earned the starting nod in all five matches.
Knox earned the title of Iron Woman of the Spring, totaling a team-high 448 minutes played. She was followed by Osborne (428), Hayden Colson (306), Anna Haddock (288), Sallee (287), Haley Duca (284) and Erin Houston (282).
Auburn found its 11 goals off the boots of Driver (3), Becky Contreras (2), Haddock (2), Sallee (2), Duca (1) and Mallory Mooney (1). Assisting on the goals were Sydnie Thibodaux (4), Driver (3), Haddock (2), Colson (1), Contreras (1), Mooney (1), Sallee (1), Jaycie Silhan (1) and Olivia Woodson (1).
In the net, the Tigers' goalkeeper unit posted a 0.60 goals-against average, saving 17 of 20 dangerous chances faced. Veteran Maddie Prohaska denied all goal-scoring opportunities in her 180 minutes of work. She made six saves. Taylor Richards added five saves of her own, followed by Ayana Yapo with four and Jenna Sapong with two.
Auburn soccer returns to action in early August with the commencement of the 2024 season. A full season schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.
