AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn soccer (2-0-2) looks stay undefeated with a home matchup against No. 21 West Virginia (2-1-1) Thursday, Sept. 1 at 6:30 p.m. CT.
The game will be available for streaming on SEC Network+ and will also be broadcast on WEGL 91.1.
Admission to the Auburn Soccer Complex is free, and the first 200 Auburn students in attendance will receive a free Auburn Jungle t-shirt.STARTING XI Auburn is tabbed as No. 11 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll. The Mountaineers were voted as No. 21.
The Tigers are 157-56-17 (.737) all-time at home under coach Hoppa. The program has posted a winning record at home in 21 of 23 seasons of the Hoppa era.
This season will mark the 30th in program history and the 24th under coach Hoppa.
Last week, the Tigers battled a pair of ACC powerhouses to ties, drawing the defending national champion, Florida State, 1-1 and matching Wake Forest 0-0.
In its last two matchups, Auburn has been outshot 29-12, but has placed 58% of those shots on-target. Anna Haddock led the Tigers' attack with a trio of shots all coming on-goal.
Thursday marks the third meeting in history between Auburn and West Virginia with each program earning a victory in the first two matches. The Tigers took the last meeting, in 2002, besting WVU 2-0. Tigers head coach Karen Hoppa was absent from the game due to national team coaching duties.
Auburn junior midfielder Sammie Brown is the daughter of WVU head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. Born in the spring of 2002, Sammie's first soccer trip with her mother was to The Plains to kick off the fall 2022 season.
Midfielder Sydnie Thibodaux has come on strong for the Tigers as of late, scoring in back-to-back matches after only scoring once in 15 games last season. Thibodaux's late goal-scoring header was vital in the Tigers' draw against the Seminoles.
Junior goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska picked up the 15th clean sheet of her career in Sunday's shutout stalemate, also making five saves to bring her collegiate total to 148, the seventh best total in program history.
The Tigers have used the same starting 11 in all four of this season's matches. Prohaska is the only starter to play all 360 minutes.
The Auburn bench has also been vital to the team's early success this season. The Tigers average 7.25 subs per game with a season-high 10 coming in the 9-0 victory against Southern Miss. Five of Auburn's 11 goals have come from players off the bench.PLAYER TO WATCH: MADDIE PROHASKA
Auburn junior goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week after an outstanding outing on the road against two ACC foes. Prohaska recorded 14 saves and a shutout against No. 2 Florida State and RV Wake Forest.
Prohaska has yet to allow a goal in the run of play this season with the lone goal conceded coming via penalty kick at FSU.SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
Nikki Izzo-Brown will lead West Virginia for the 26th year as head coach. Under Izzo-Brown's leadership, the Mountaineers have appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 20 of the last 22 seasons.
West Virginia posted a 10-5-5 record a season ago, going 2-1-3 on the road and 0-2-3 against ranked competition.
To begin the 2022 slate, the Mountaineers have compiled a 2-1-1 record with their only loss coming at No. 10 Penn State, 2-0.UP NEXT Auburn will square off against Army Sunday, Sept. 4 at noon CT.
