MOBILE, Ala. — Auburn’s offense exploded for six goals in the second half Thursday night at The Cage Soccer Complex to see the No. 13 Tigers cruise past South Alabama 6-0, marking the program’s biggest win on the road since 1993.
“Wow, what a second half,” Tigers head coach Karen Hoppa said. “The scoreline shows that our team just made some really good adjustments coming out of the locker room. Then, they put on a finishing clinic, and it was fun to watch.”
The Tigers outshot the Jags 8-1 in the first half but were not able to finish on any of their chances.
Senior Anna Haddock broke through with her third-straight match-winner in the 50th minute. She spun a defender at the top of the penalty arc to find space on her left foot and slot one home inside the right post.
“We knew we had to get the first goal,” Haddock said. “We’re a really confident team when we feed off energy, so we knew getting the first one was crucial if we wanted a good result.”
Mooney picked up No. 2 for the Tigers just five minutes later. Senior Sydnie Thibodaux drove to the endline and played a ball across the face of goal that was deflected back to Mooney who took one touch to punch the ball over the opposing keeper's head and into the goal.
Auburn found a third four minutes later from sophomore Olivia Woodson who was found making perfectly timed a run through the USA defense by senior Sammie Brown. Woodson punished the opponent with a rocket into the left side of the net that Alison Luckhardt could not handle.
“Credit to Anna (Haddock) for getting us started,” Woodson said. “She really kickstarted the momentum and we just started generating opportunities and capitalizing on them from that point on.”
In the 67th minute, Woodson found another on a top-shelf stunner, securing her second career brace.
Freshman Lily Borders netted Auburn’s fifth of the night in the 81st minute. Fellow freshman Ciara Brown played a ball across the face of goal that Borders put away with a sliding shot on the far post.
Brown secured Auburn’s sixth and final with two minutes left on the clock. She pinged a ball into the box that was too hot to handle and was kicked into the back of the goal by a South Alabama defender.
The 6-0 victory marked Auburn’s largest margin-of-victory in a road match since hanging six at LaGrange College in 1993, the first year of the program.
Up next, Auburn returns home to host App State Sunday, Sept. 1 at 1 p.m. CT. Fans in attendance will receive Auburn soccer umbrella hats while supplies last.