AUBURN, Ala. — For the first time this season, No. 13 Auburn soccer takes its unbeaten streak on the road as the Tigers face South Alabama Thursday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. CT.
“With this being our first away contest, I reminded the team of how we performed last time on the road in our exhibition,” head coach Karen Hoppa said. “Playing away from home is hard, but I challenged them to rise to that challenge and grow from our experience last time. We’ve got to start fast and play to the level of soccer that we know we’re capable of.”
It will be the 16th meeting between the Tigers and Jaguars with Auburn holding the commanding 14-1-0 advantage over the previous 15 matchups.
The last time the sides met in an official competition was in the spring of the 2020-21 season. Olivia Candelino and Anna Haddock scored a pair of goals en route to a 3-0 victory for the Tigers. Haddock picked up one assist, Mallory Mooney earned two.
Auburn traveled to Mobile for an exhibition prior to the start of the 2023 season. Both squads played to a scoreless draw.
Led by first-year head coach Chris Hennessey, South Alabama enters the week on a two-match win streak at 2-1-0 overall. The Jags opened the season at home versus LSU, falling 3-0, but responded with a pair of road wins at Louisiana Tech (2-0) and at Southeastern Louisiana (2-1).
Sophomore Irene Campo leads USA’s offensive production with two goals and one assist already to her credit this season. Senior Allison Luckhardt captains the defense between the sticks and has made 10 saves on 14 on-frame shots faced for a 1.33 goals-against average.
In 2023, the Jags went 16-1-3, falling in the Sun Belt Soccer Tournament semifinals to James Madison 1-0. South Alabama was not selected to participate in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Auburn rides the high of a 2-0 weekend into Thursday. The Tigers netted nine while surrendering zero in a 6-0 win over Southern Miss and a 3-0 win against Coastal Carolina. It is just the third time in program history, and the first since 2015, that Auburn has begun the year with three straight shutout victories.
Senior LJ Knox was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week as she and the backline held Auburn’s opponents without a single shot on goal in both matches. Haddock was voted to Top Drawer Soccer’s Team of the Week after bagging a pair of game-winners and collecting three assists.
Thursday’s match at “The Cage” is free and open to the public. ESPN+ will carry the broadcast with JT Crabtree on the call.