Sept. 9, 2016
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AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Kristen Dodson and Brooke Ramsier got on the scoresheet to pace Auburn to a 2-1 victory over Vanderbilt on Friday night. It was the first conference match of the season for both squads, with the Tigers (4-3-0, 1-0-0 SEC) prevailing at home.
"Obviously, we're happy with the result," said head coach Karen Hoppa. "Any win in this conference is a great win. I thought Vanderbilt did a tremendous job of responding to our second goal and making it a tight game. We were able to grind it out at the end, but we have got to do a better job finishing."
Auburn more than doubled Vanderbilt's (4-3-0, 0-1-0) shot output with a 15-7 margin. The Tigers remained on the attack for the full 90 minutes, notching nine corners and allowing just two in the match.
The hosts got on the board first in the 15th minute when Casie Ramsier was brought down in the box, forcing a penalty. Brooke Ramsier then stepped up and slotted her first goal of the season into the back of the net, giving Auburn an early 1-0 lead.
"I just knew I had the confidence of my teammates and they believed in me," said Brooke Ramsier. "I had confidence from past success in taking penalties, so with my team's support and belief in my own head, I knew if I smashed it into the back of the net, it would go in."
The Tigers nearly doubled their lead when Bri Folds laced a shot from long range that glanced off the goalkeeper's hands and rattled the crossbar in the 25th minute of play.
Auburn maintained its lead into the break and held a 4-1 advantage in both shots and corners after the first 45 minutes.
The Tigers came roaring out of halftime with a flurry of chances as five shots in a span of just over two minutes kept the pressure on.
"We had so many opportunities out of halftime and we've got to take care of business," said Hoppa. "That was the whole goal, to start out that first 15 minutes on the front foot to really get after [Vanderbilt]."
In the opening five minutes of the second half, Casie Ramsier registered a shot on frame and moved up the charts on the program's all-time shots list, surpassing Katy Frierson. The senior now has 231 on her career.
Dodson then netted what turned out to be the match-winner in the 74th minute, when a Commodore defender's clearance found the feet of the junior, who buried her third goal of 2016.
Just one minute later, Vanderbilt got a goal back and made it a one-goal game at 2-1. However, it was not enough as the back line of Auburn held strong in the final 15 minutes to secure a 1-0 start to conference play.
"Any time in this conference is good to get a win," stated Dodson. "We're heading in the right direction."
The Tigers return to the pitch for their final non-conference match of the regular season against Baylor on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at the Auburn Soccer Complex.