Tag: karen hoppa

Auburn soccer set to host Wake Forest

After a successful weekend in New York, the Tigers are ready to a challenging weekend opener.

After a stellar showing last weekend in New York, the Auburn Tigers (3-0-1) return to the Plains for another intriguing weekend of soccer.

The weekend begins Thursday night when the Tigers host Wake Forest (3-0-1) for a 6:30 p.m. match at the Auburn Soccer Complex. The Demon Deacons, like Auburn, are riding a two-game winning streak into tonight’s action. Head coach [autotag]Karen Hoppa[/autotag] says that her club needs to play a clean game in order to win.

“I don’t think we were at our best last week, but being able to win when you don’t have your best soccer is a testament of a great team,” Hoppa said this week. “We’re going to need to clean a few things up because Wake Forest was a really high-quality opponent when we played them there last year, and we’re expecting them to be very similar this go-around. I can’t think of a better way to spend your Thursday evening than watching a high-level SEC versus ACC matchup.”

Caiya Hanks and Emily Murphy lead the Demon Deacons in points with five. Nikayla Small is the team’s leader in assists with three. Goalkeeper Madison Howard has recorded ten saves to this point of the season.

As for Auburn, the Tigers are led by [autotag]Anna Haddock[/autotag]. Haddock has six points on the season, with four of her six shots being on goal. She, along with [autotag]Hayden Colson[/autotag] and [autotag]Mallory Mooney[/autotag], leads the team in assists with two.

Here’s when you should tune in to see the game:

  • Date: Thursday, Aug. 31
  • Time: 6:30 p.m. CT
  • Streaming: ESPN+ (Brit Bowen, Mac Matthews)

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Soccer roundup: Tigers take two in New York

The Tigers’ enjoyed a successful weekend in the Empire State

Auburn soccer enjoyed cooler temperatures over the weekend in New York and will return home with two more wins to its record.

The Tigers set the tone early in Thursday’s match at Syracuse (1-2) while storming back to erase an early Army (0-3-1) deficit to extend their record to 3-0-1 on the young season.

Auburn opened the weekend by taking down Syracuse, 2-1. The Tigers scored the first goal of the game in the 24th minute when a shot by [autotag]Anna Haddock[/autotag] was deflected by the Orange goalkeeper. The recoil allowed [autotag]Marissa Arias[/autotag] to score from inside the goal area.

Auburn’s second goal of the match was off of a corner kick by [autotag]Mallory Mooney[/autotag]. The ball bounced off several players before [autotag]LJ Knox[/autotag] finally delivered the ball through the net in the 60th minute. Syracuse’s lone score came in the 67th minute.

“It was our first game against a Power-5 team, and I thought we really battled well against a tough Syracuse squad,” Auburn head coach [autotag]Karen Hoppa[/autotag] said. “We had some good runs of play, created a lot of chances, and scored two good goals. Unfortunately, we gave up one late, which made it stressful down the stretch, but our team did a good job managing the game out, so we’re thrilled to walk out of here with a win.” 

Auburn’s second match of the weekend was a back-and-forth affair. Army scored its first goal in the 24th minute and would hold two different leads in the match, but Auburn scored the final two goals in the 2nd half to earn the 3-2 victory.

“It wasn’t our best soccer, but the girls found a way to win. That’s what I’m really proud of,” Hoppa said of the win over Army. “We knew Army would be tough and physical, but we fought hard, and we got it done versus a great team in a tough environment.”

The Tigers got help in the 50th minute when an own goal by Army tied the game at 2-2. Auburn would score the winning goal just 11 minutes later on a shot by Haddock from just inside the penalty area.

“This was a really big weekend on the road for us, but our goal was always to come out with six points,” Haddock said after the game. “We toughed it out and got it done. Really great fight and response and an overall great defensive effort from the whole team today.”

Auburn returns home this week to host Wake Forest (3-0-1) and American (0-2-1) at the Auburn Soccer Complex. The Tigers and Demon Deacons square off on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. CT, with Auburn hosting American on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. CT. Both matches can be streamed on SEC Network+.

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Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

10 Auburn soccer names to look out for in 2023

As Auburn soccer prepares for the 2023 season, here are ten players to keep an eye on.

After a 2022 campaign that did not go as planned, Auburn soccer is looking to bounce back in 2023.

The Tigers ended last season with a 6-6-6 campaign, with a record of 2-6-2 against SEC foes. This season, top players such as goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska and midfielder Anna Haddock return to lead the Tigers into the 2023 campaign which begins Aug. 17 against Samford.

[autotag]Karen Hoppa[/autotag], who has been leading the program since 1999, is ready for yet another season on the Plains.

Here are 10 Auburn players to look out for this season:

Top Drawer Soccer recognizes two Auburn soccer players

Auburn soccer players Sarah Houchin and Hailey Whitaker were both honored by Top Drawer Soccer after Saturday’s 3-0 victory over USA.

Auburn soccer players Sarah Houchin and Hailey Whitaker were both honored by Top Drawer Soccer after Saturday’s 3-0 victory over South Alabama.

Houchin was named to Team of the Week marking the fifth time this spring an Auburn player received the acknowledgement. It was the second time for both Houchin and Whitaker who earned honorable mention accolades this week.

Houchin, a senior, led Auburn to it’s eighth shutout this season against the nation’s highest scoring offense. Saturday was Houchin’s 76th consecutive start for Auburn on the backline and she assisted on the Tigers’ first goal in the match. Not a bad way to close out Senior Day.

Whitaker, a junior, finished the game with two assists and scored the Tigers’ third goal in the game. After matching her career best with two assists and four points she was named this week’s Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Week. Whitaker was recognized by Top Drawer Soccer last week after scoring the game winning goal against Alabama. This week marks her second honor in a row.

Head coach Karen Hoppa was elated that her players’ efforts continued to be recognized,

“Sarah and Hailey played key roles on the defensive and offensive side of the ball in our win last weekend. We’re glad to see them both recognized by Top Drawer this week.”

Maddie Prohaska named SEC Defensive Player of the Week second week in a row

The last time an SEC player received back-to-back Defensive Player of the Week honors was September 2017.

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The last time an SEC player received back-to-back Defensive Player of the Week honors was September 2017. This week, Auburn freshman goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska changes that.

This spring Prohaska has started at goalkeeper in each match for the Tigers and allowed only one goal. Her efforts on Saturday led the team to their fourth shutout in five games this spring with a 1-0 double overtime victory over Louisville. Saturday’s shutout was Prohaska’s seventh this season as well as her sixth solo shutout.

The back-to-back accolades aren’t the first this season for the talented freshman as Prohaska was also named SEC Freshman of the Week on September 21 after an impressive debut performance against Mississippi State.

Her impressive save percentage (0.842) currently leads the league. Karen Hoppa was elated to see the freshman star get back-to-back recognition Monday and said,

“We are so excited for Maddie to win back-to-back SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Getting a shutout on the road against a quality ACC team is a great accomplishment, and we are glad to see that accomplishment recognized by the league.”