AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn soccer is back on The Plains this weekend for one final dose of nonconference action as the No. 6 Tigers host Old Dominion in a Friday night showdown set for 6:30 p.m. CT at the Auburn Soccer Complex.
“It’ll be no easy task. Old Dominion is a really good team,” Tigers head coach Karen Hoppa said. “They’re well-coached. We expect them to be very organized, and they’ve got a center forward who is as dangerous as anyone we’ve played this year.”
Auburn (7-0-0) rolls into the weekend as a top-10 team in both national polls after knocking off Samford and No. 17 Ohio State last week.
On the road in Birmingham, Auburn’s attack struck early and often as the Tigers poured on five goals versus the Bulldogs, clinching their first victory over Samford since 2021. Junior Shelby Sallee and sophomore Olivia Woodson each recorded a brace in the match — the first players to score two in a road contest since 2018.
Auburn’s defense limited the Bulldogs to just two shots on frame, both of which were stuffed by Tigers goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska.
Versus the No. 17 Buckeyes, the Orange & Blue defense flexed its muscle once more as it secured the squad’s seventh consecutive clean sheet of the season. Ohio State went shotless the first 45 minutes of the match and without a shot on goal for the full 90.
Woodson broke through in the 49th-minute with the one and only goal Auburn needed to clinch the win. She was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week for her finishing ability in both matches.
A perennial NCAA Tournament program, Old Dominion enters the match at 5-2-0 overall with its losses coming at Liberty (2-0) and versus LSU (2-1). The Monarchs are on a two-game winning streak as they blanked George Mason 1-0 and Longwood 2-0 last week.
Forward Rhea Kijowski leads the Monarchs offensively with three goals and one assist. Midfielder Katie Lutz also boasts a pair of goals. Emily Bredek and Erin Jones have split the goalkeeping duties. Both have sub-one goals-against averages of 0.74 and 0.68, respectively. Bredek leads with 16 saves.
Auburn opened the 2022 season with Old Dominion and picked up a narrow, 1-0 victory thanks to a 54th-minute game-winner from Anna Haddock. Six current Tigers saw time in the match, including Prohaska, who went the distance between the sticks and saved the only dangerous chance she faced.
All-time, the programs have met on four occasions with the Tigers winning three of them. Auburn traveled to Norfolk in 2019, when both sides played to a 0-0 draw.
JJ Jackson and Nick Flohre have Friday’s call on the SEC Network+. Radio coverage may be found at WEGL 91.1.
As always, matches at the Auburn Soccer Complex are free and open to the public. It is Military Appreciation Night and Alumni Night on the pitch as both groups will be recognized at halftime. Following a brief cooldown period after the match’s completion, a 10-minute fireworks show will ensue.