AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn soccer takes its four-match unbeaten streak on the road this week as the No. 11 Tigers trek to Lexington, Kentucky for a 6:30 p.m. CT match-up with the Wildcats at Bell Soccer Stadium on Friday, Oct. 18.
“Boy, Kentucky is a great team, and they are even better at home,” Tigers head coach Karen Hoppa said. “They play the possession game, and they’ll bomb numbers forward, so they’re very dangerous in their attack. All of their players work very hard for the full 90. There is never any let-up. I think the Tennessee match will help us prepare for this one, but we’re certainly going to have to tighten up on some of those weaknesses that got exposed if we want to earn three points again this week.”
Auburn rolls into Lexington riding the momentum of a thrilling 3-2 win last week at Tennessee. The Tigers used a brace from sophomore superstar Olivia Woodson and an 80th-minute golazo from senior Sydnie Thibodaux to hand the Lady Vols their first home loss of the season.
With a 12-1-2, 4-1-2 record, Auburn currently sits third in the SEC standings with 14 points. Arkansas and Mississippi State share the top spot at 18 points apiece. With three matches remaining in the regular season, the Tigers have their sights set on a top four seed and a bye at the 2024 SEC Tournament.
Kentucky’s nine points have it locked in a four-way tie for fifth in the conference. The Wildcats are 10-2-3, 2-2-3 this season, and boast an impressive 8-0-2 record when playing at home.
The Wildcats’ two losses came on Sept. 22 at South Carolina (1-0) and last week at Vanderbilt (3-1). This season, head coach Troy Fabiano’s squad has earned significant victories over No. 9 UCLA (2-0), Alabama (2-0) and LSU (2-1).
Offensively, senior Makala Woods and graduate student Maddie Kemp have combined to earn 28 points for the Wildcats. Woods has proven herself to be one of the league’s premier attacking threats with her eight goals and one assist.
Graduate student Marz Josephson has been her side’s everyday goalkeeper, saving 24 of 34 shots faced for a 0.69 goals-against average. Kentucky’s 0.73 team GAA ranks sixth-best in the SEC this year.
Series history favors the Tigers this week as Auburn owns a slight 13-11-4 advantage over the previous 28 meetings, and a 4-0-1 advantage over the previous five.
Both programs last met during 2022 season, when the Tigers walked out of Lexington with a 3-1 victory. Bowling Green, Kentucky native Anna Haddock scored the opening goal of the contest and picked up the assist on the game-winner.
At Tennessee, Haddock earned the 42nd assist of her career on Thibodaux’s late screamer to officially tie Katy Frierson (2008-11) for the program record. Another assist on Friday would see the senior break the 13-year-old record in her home state.
The Auburn-Kentucky match will air live on the SEC Network+ with Gretchen Mills and Josh Braun on the call. Ticket information can be found here. Section D is the designated visiting team section.