AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn soccer will aim to continue its winning ways against Southern Illinois on Thursday evening at the Auburn Soccer Complex. The Tigers will enter the match after a convincing 5-0 victory over in-state foe Jacksonville State on Sunday evening.
“Southern Illinois is a very well-coached team, and I have a ton of respect for Graham (Orr),” said Auburn head coach James Armstrong. “They’re not going to come all the way down from Carbondale unless they feel like they have a good chance to cause an upset. They’ll be a possession-oriented team, but maybe with a little bit more of a punch going forward. They have some international players that have a ton of flair, and then they’ll be resolute defensively. It’ll be interesting to see how they come out and play in the humidity and on grass instead of turf.
“We’ve had two great crowds so far, so to have another home game when the students are all back, we’re hoping for another boisterous crowd.”
Auburn holds a 1-0-1 record this season with a win over Jacksonville State and a draw against Clemson in the season opener. The Tigers dominated possession Sunday, outshooting the Gamecocks 23-4 and putting 11 shots on target. In the match, senior Hannah Bell recorded the 97th brace in program history with goals in the 37th and 43rd minutes.
Chloe Taylor earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors after the defender helped Auburn record two clean sheets and scored her first collegiate goal Sunday. Taylor’s goal, which was a finalist for the IWSOC Goal of the Week award, found the upper corner in the 69th minute to give Auburn a 5-0 advantage over Jacksonville State. The Auburn freshman was also an honorable mention on Top Drawer Soccer’s Team of the Week.
Thursday will mark the first-ever meeting between Auburn and Southern Illinois and just the second time the Tigers have faced a Missouri Valley Conference opponent, with Evansville in 2002 being the first. The Salukis are 1-1-0 this season with a 5-0 win over Western Illinois and a 1-0 loss to Southeast Missouri State.
Thursday’s match will mark the debut of the Chaos Corner at the Auburn Soccer Complex, the new student section at the pitch. Admission to the match at the Auburn Soccer Complex is free, and fans in attendance will receive a free Auburn soccer bucket hat while supplies last. Beginning this season, personal coolers are permitted at the Auburn Soccer Complex, but only people 21 and older may consume alcohol.
The game will be streamed on SEC Network+, while radio coverage will be available terrestrially on WEGL 91.1 and via streaming at AuburnTigers.com. Live stats will also be available at AuburnTigers.com.