It's been a rough couple of weeks for the Auburn Tigers (11-3-1, 3-3-1 SEC) losing three games in a row, but the Tigers got back into the win column with a shutout victory over the Georgia Bulldogs, 1-0 followed by a victory over Missouri. The Georgia win marked Auburn's 10th victory of the season, with six of those wins being shutouts lead by goalkeeper Sarah Le Beau who had her 27th shutout overall. Tigers head coach Karen Hoppa said it was totally a group effort.
"It was a team effort," she told WLTZ, "It felt great to put that one away, and we just had to focus on finishing out the game strong." The Tigers only score came off of the foot of Treva Aycock on an assist by Alyssa Malonson with 25:46 left in the second period.
Le Beau did the rest stopping the Bulldogs with three saves.
"I'm really proud of our team," Hoppa said. "We faced a lot of adversity this week, and to be back home was great. To defend our home turf and grind out a 1-0 win in this league is huge for us. We need to continue to build on this momentum."
The Tigers turn their attention to the last four matches of the season, one on the road against Missouri (5-7-2, 2-3-1 SEC) on Oct. 14, before returning home to face Vanderbilt (12-1, 5-0 SEC) on Oct. 18.
If the Tigers are to make the NCAA Tournament, their 1-0 win against Missouri will help their cause. A sweep of both would almost guarantee the Tigers will make the NCAA Tournament. Splitting either match wouldn't hurt the Tigers either especially if they can come away with a victory against undefeated Vanderbilt.
The key to the Tigers splitting or winning both matches is to continue to play good defense and find a way to score. Auburn has one of the best goalkeepers in the country as she has proven once again against Georgia. If the Le Beau can get her some help, they should be able to make a run in the NCAA Tournament.
