Sept. 28, 2017 Auburn at Mississippi State
(5-3-2, 2-0-1 SEC) vs. (7-1-2, 1-1-1 SEC)
Match
| Friday, Sept. 29 | 7 p.m. | --> |
| Auburn at Mississippi State | ||
AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" The Auburn soccer team hits the road for the second time in SEC play as the Tigers take on Mississippi State (7-1-2, 1-1-1 SEC) Friday in Starkville, Miss. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT at the Mississippi State Soccer Field.
The match will be streamed on SEC Network+ and is available on the WatchESPN app and online at WatchESPN.com.
Auburn (5-3-2, 2-0-1 SEC) is coming off a week during which it battled to a 1-1 draw at No. 21 Tennessee and cruised to a dominating 3-0 win against Kentucky. The Tigers are currently tied with Vanderbilt for second in the SEC through three conference contests.
Starting XI
Auburn holds a 16-4-1 advantage in the all-time series with Mississippi State and has won 13 of the last 14 matchups with the Bulldogs dating back to the 2002 season. The streak also includes winning five of the last six contests in Starkville.
Redshirt senior defender Caroline Bado was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week Monday, marking the Tigers' second straight week with such recognition. Bado was also named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week Tuesday after teammate Hannah Alspach also earned the distinction a week ago.
The Auburn defense has allowed just one goal in the first three SEC matches, marking the first time since 2004 and second time in program history the Tigers have accomplished the feat. The Tigers rank tied for second in the league in goals allowed, goals against average and shutouts during SEC play.
Auburn went 9-2-0 in SEC play a season ago and finished second in the league. The Tigers are 18-6-2 against conference foes over the last three seasons.
Auburn is 114-68-16 all-time in September, including 2017. The Tigers have netted 379 goals (1.91 per match) and allowed 261 (1.32 per match). Over that span, Auburn has secured 71 shutouts, including 56 under head coach Karen Hoppa.
Senior forward Kristen Dodson was recently named a candidate for the 2017 Senior CLASS Award, marking the second straight season a member of the Orange and Blue has received the recognition.
Coming off a team and SEC high five-point performance against Kentucky, Dodson also continues to climb a number of career records as she ranks fourth in all-time history in assists (27) and game-winning goals (nine), fifth in goals (26) and sixth in points (79).
Scouting Mississippi State
Mississippi State ranks third in the SEC in scoring offense (2.20) and fourth in goals (22). Their marks also rank 32nd and 37th in the country, respectively.
The Bulldogs are unbeaten at home with a 6-0-1 overall record and 1-0-0 mark in Starkville during SEC play.
Mississippi State is coming off a 3-1 win versus Missouri and 2-2 draw at LSU last week.
Five Bulldogs have scored two or more goals this season, led by MaKayla Waldner with a team-high six.
Player to Watch: Caroline Bado
Bado has been the leader of the Auburn back line all season and led the Tigers to their fourth shutout of 2017 versus Kentucky last Sunday. After also shutting down one of the SEC's top scorers last Thursday at Tennessee, Bado went on to be named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week and was a member of the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week. She has played in every minute of every match this season.
Up Next
Auburn enters the middle portion of its SEC schedule with a home match against Arkansas Thursday, Oct. 5 before hitting the road for a matchup against Alabama Sunday, Oct. 8.