Oct. 6, 2016
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LEXINGTON, Ky. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Kristen Dodson and Bri Folds each found the back of the net as Auburn emerged victorious at Kentucky, 2-1, on Thursday night. The Tigers (9-4-0, 5-1-0 SEC) pushed their overall win streak to four consecutive matches and have won all five of their road contests in 2016.
"I'm really proud of our girls' resiliency," said head coach Karen Hoppa. "We didn't start the first half great and a lot of that was due to Kentucky's pressure. We missed an open net, gave up a goal and we could've just folded, but we didn't.
"Our girls grew into the first half, we got one before half to go into halftime 1-1 and I thought that was a key to the game because in the second half we came out and played with a lot of confidence and did enough to win the game."
Kentucky (4-7-2, 0-5-1) took the lead in the 13th minute on a cross that was finished to the far post.
Auburn then ramped up the pressure and recorded seven shots over the next 28 minutes before Folds knotted match up at 1-1 just three minutes before halftime on a build-up that involved three members of the road squad.
"Brooke [Ramsier] played it to Kristen [Dodson] and she gave me a great layoff to put it in the back of the net," said Folds.
With the match squared away at 1-1 to open the second half, the Tigers maintained the pressure and forced the issue in the offensive third of the field.
In the 52nd minute, Brooke Ramsier played through Casie Ramsier who then sent a cross that found the feet of Dodson just outside the six-yard box. The junior then buried her eighth goal of the season to put Auburn up 2-1.
The goal went on to be Dodson's fifth match-winner of the season, tying Casie Ramsier (2015) for second-highest single-season total in program history, as Auburn held on with solid defensive play in the final 15 minutes.
Brooke Ramsier notched a pair of assists in the contest, marking a season-high for the senior en route to the team's come-from-behind victory on Thursday.
"[The win] shows our resiliency, our determination to win and our mental toughness to not give up even when we are down," stated Brooke Ramsier. "Especially with all the adversity we face when we are away, it just shows the toughness we have and gives us confidence going forward."
Auburn nets its first win at Kentucky since 2006 and has now defeated the Wildcats in back-to-back matches.
The Tigers return to the field Sunday afternoon when they play host to Mississippi State. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at the Auburn Soccer Complex.