AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn soccer officially kickstarts Southeastern Conference play this week as the No. 6 Tigers host Vanderbilt for a 6:30 p.m. CT face off on Thursday, Sept. 19 at the Auburn Soccer Complex.
“This week is certainly going to be a challenge, thankfully we get to face it at home with some incredible fans by our side,” Tigers head coach Karen Hoppa said. “Vanderbilt has some star players on both ends of the ball. They’re going to come here hungry and confident. We’re certainly going to have to be at our best if we want a good result here.”
With a 2-0 win over Old Dominion last week, Auburn (8-0-0) closed out its nonconference slate undefeated and unscored upon. The Tigers join No. 13 Oklahoma State as the only two Division I programs who have yet to concede a goal this season.
Senior goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska earned the starting nod in each of the previous eight matches and saved all 10 on-frame shots she faced. Prohaska picked up seven solo shutouts and one combined shutout. She stands second in the Auburn record books, one clean sheet shy of matching Megan Rivera’s program record of 33.
Other key members of the side’s dominant defense include Hayden Colson, Erin Houston, LJ Knox, Mallory Mooney and Jessica Osborne, all of whom have led the 2024 squad to a program record for consecutive shutouts.
Auburn’s eight clean sheets already rank tied for the seventh-most in a single season in program history and are the most by a Tiger team since 2020.
On the offensive side of the ball, Auburn has found dangerous creation from nearly every direction. A total of 12 different players accounted for 30 goals. Eight players have already scored equal or more goals than they did in the previous season.
Sophomore Olivia Woodson spearheads the attack with six goals followed by junior Shelby Sallee with five and seniors Becky Contreras and Anna Haddock with three.
Vanderbilt rolls into town as one of five undefeated teams in the SEC this season. At 5-0-2, the Commodores picked up victories at Belmont (5-0), vs. Saint Mary’s (4-1), vs. Columbia (3-0), vs. Middle Tennessee (3-0) and vs. Eastern Kentucky (7-0). Their draws came at No. 21 Georgetown (0-0) and vs. Kansas (0-0).
Under 10th-year head coach Darren Ambrose, the Commodores have amassed over 100 wins, including three straight seasons with league hardware as Vanderbilt won the regular season title in 2018, the SEC East title in 2019, and the SEC Tournament Championship in 2020.
This season, Ambrose’s side has outscored opponents 22-1. Sophomore Sydney Watts, junior Caroline Betts and senior Rachel Deresky share the team lead with four goals apiece. Senior goalkeeper Sara Wojdelko has seen the majority of minutes between the sticks and has saved 12 of 13 chances faced.
The all-time series between Auburn and Vanderbilt is a fairly even one with the Tigers holding a slight 10-8-5 advantage, however, it has been eight years since the last Auburn victory.
Both programs last met in 2022 when a last-minute goal from the Commodores sealed a 1-1 tie. Auburn returns nine players who saw time in the match, including four starters.
Brit Bowen and Nick Flohre have Thursday’s call on the SEC Network+. Radio coverage will be provided via WEGL 91.1.
As always, matches at the Auburn Soccer Complex are free and open to the public. Fans in attendance this week will receive white Auburn visors while supplies last.