Nov. 16, 2017
Auburn at #1 Stanford
(8-6-5, 4-2-4 SEC) vs. (19-1-0, 11-0-0 Pac-12)
Match
| Friday, Nov. 17 | 9 p.m. CT | |
| Auburn at Stanford | ||
Stanford, Calif. -- The Auburn soccer team (8-6-5) opens the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament with a second-round matchup against #1 Stanford (19-1-0) Friday night. Kickoff at The Farm is scheduled for 9 p.m. CT.
The match will be streamed on Facebook Live, and Chris Fitzgerald and Ted Enberg will have the call from the broadcast booth.
The winner of Friday night's match will go on to play the winner of Florida State vs. Arizona, who play prior to the Tigers and Cardinal, in the third round Sunday.
Starting XI
The NCAA Tournament appearance is Auburn's fourth straight and 15th overall under head coach Karen Hoppa. The Tigers are 13-14 in the NCAA Tournament all-time and 9-5 in the Big Dance since 2011.
The 2017 season marks Auburn's sixth straight with a postseason win when the team has made the NCAA Tournament. It also marks the programs 10th NCAA Second Round appearance.
Friday's second-round contest against #1 Stanford will mark Auburn's eighth match against a ranked opponents this season. The Tigers will have played four of the top-six teams in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll.
Auburn has achieved program firsts in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments as the team advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2015 and made its first ever Elite Eight appearance a season ago.
The senior class became the sixth in program history to advance to the NCAA Tournament in each of its four seasons and the first since 2012. With a 1-0 win against Hofstra last Friday, the group became the first ever to win a NCAA Tournament match in four straight years.
The Tigers had three players earn SEC All-Conference honors, marking the fourth straight season with three or more awards. Senior forward Kristen Dodson and senior defender Caroline Bado were named First Team All-SEC while Alyssa Malonson made the All-Freshman Team.
Dodson became the 10th player in program history to be named to the first team on multiple occasions and the eighth to do it in back-to-back seasons. She continues to climb a number of career records including goals (29), assists (28), points (86) and game-winning goals (10). Five of her team-high eight goals this season came in conference play.
The Auburn defense finished the regular season tied for second in the league with five shutouts during conference play - matching a program record. The Tigers also finished fourth in goals against average (0.83) and tied for fourth in goals allowed (nine).
Hoppa has coached 16 winning seasons at Auburn with nine of them being 12-win seasons. She has now recorded 20 winning seasons in 25 years as a head coach.
Scouting Stanford
Stanford enters the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament with a 19-1-0 overall record and is riding the longest winning streak in the country at 17 matches.
The Cardinal not only lead the Pac-12, but also lead the country in goals, assists and points, among other categories.
Freshman forward Catarina Macario was named the Pac-12 Forward and Freshman of the Year. She leads the team in goals (15), assists (12) and points (42).
Player to Watch: Bri Folds
After the scoring the game-winning goal in Auburn's first-round win against Hofstra, Folds went on to be named to the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week, becoming the fourth member of the team this season to earn the distinction. The goal was Folds' fourth of the season and second game-winner. She now ranks tied for first on the team in assists (six), second in points (14) and tied for second in goals.