AUBURN, Ala – Auburn soccer will make the trip to Lexington, Kentucky for a road matchup versus the Kentucky Wildcats Thursday, Oct. 6 at 6 p.m. CT.
Dave Baker and Payton Atkins will have the call as the game will be streamed via SECNetwork+.
"Kentucky is certainly a challenging place to play," Tigers head coach Karen Hoppa said. "They are one of those teams that are better than their record indicates. They have three attacking players that are as good as anyone in the league. Their offense is dangerous, so we're going to have to keep bringing that shut-down defense if we want to beat them."
The Tigers hold the narrow all-time series lead at 12-11-4, however, Kentucky boasts a 5-4-2 advantage when squaring off in Lexington. Both teams last came to blows in the fall of 2020, fighting a 1-1 draw in double overtime on The Plains.
A pair of Tigers have previously gotten on the scoresheet versus the Wildcats. Kentucky native Anna Haddock picked up an assist on the goal in the previous bout while senior Hailey Whitaker laced the game-winner in Auburn's 2019 victory on the road.
Auburn treks north fresh off a 1-1 draw against Vanderbilt. Midfielder Grace Sklopan's goal in the 18th minute was the Tigers' first in conference play and solidified Auburn as just the third opponent to score on the Commodore defense this year.
With 31 seconds left on the clock, Vanderbilt capitalized off an indirect free kick call to snatch the last-minute draw.
Through 12 games this season, Tigers goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska, alongside the back line, have yet to concede multiple goals in any matchup. The team's 0.58 goals against average stands good for fifth in the SEC and ranks top-25 nationally.
In the midst of a stellar junior season, Prohaska chases All-American Megan Rivera's single-season GAA record of 0.68, set in 2003, and the first season with a sub-one average since 2015.
In order to leave Lexington in the win column, the Tigers will have to best a Wildcat squad that boasts a 6-2 record at home. Led by first-year head coach Troy Fabiano, Kentucky approaches the midway point of league play with an 0-4 SEC record after dropping matches to Ole Miss (1-2), Vanderbilt (0-2), Tennessee (1-4) and LSU (2-3).
As a team, Kentucky leans on an offense that ranks fourth in the conference in goals scored (30), however, the Wildcat back line has proved vulnerable as it has allowed 16 opposing goals, ranking 12th in the league for GAA (1.33).
Following Thursday's match, the Tigers will return home for a quick turnaround game versus Mississippi State Sunday, Oct. 9. First kick from the Auburn Soccer Complex is slated for 2 p.m. CT.