AUBURN, Ala. — For nearly half an hour, neither Auburn nor Ole Miss could find the breakthrough. Then, in the span of six minutes, the match shifted.
The Auburn Tigers secured a 3-0 win over the visiting Ole Miss Rebels on Friday night at the Auburn Soccer Complex.
Auburn controlled the majority of possession during the first half, initially struggling to convert its opportunities into goals. The Tigers eventually broke through in the 29th minute when junior midfielder Gracie Brown scored to give Auburn a 1-0 lead.
Just six minutes later, senior Grace Ivey, who entered the game as a substitute, added another goal to extend Auburn's lead to 2-0, heading into halftime.
"We've been working super hard on the attack this whole week,” Ivey said. “So it was just great to see the ball hit the back of the net."
The Tigers continued to generate offensive opportunities throughout the first half, recording six corner kicks and repeatedly moving the ball into the attacking third. Auburn finished the match with 18 total shots, including six on target.
"I thought we played well in the first half. I thought we got the job done in the second half, but it feels great to get a win because we needed it,” Auburn head coach James Armstrong said.
The intensity increased in the second half, with both teams committing eight fouls. Each team finished the match with 12 fouls after committing four fouls in the first half and the rest in the second half.
Furthermore, all five yellow cards issued during the match were in the second half. Three for the Tigers and two for the Rebels. Eva Pattison and Holly Engelking of Auburn and Peyton Dyess and Maizy Kluksdal of Ole Miss received yellow cards for unsporting behavior, while Auburn goalkeeper Ayana Yapo was booked for time wasting.
The Tigers then added to their lead in the 55th minute when Kennedy Husbands scored off a corner kick, creating chaos at the goal. This goal gave Auburn a 3-0 advantage with more than 30 minutes remaining for Ole Miss to mount a comeback. However, Ole Miss was unable to produce a shot on target throughout the match.
Auburn maintained its three-goal advantage for the remainder of the match to secure the 3-0 victory. The result moves Auburn to 1-1 in SEC play, while Ole Miss continues to find their first conference victory.
“I think we just gained so much momentum that we can really carry on throughout this next week," Ivey said. “And we needed a bounce back from last week. So, I think us coming together and sticking together, that was huge for us."
Auburn will now travel to take on Missouri on Thursday, Sept. 24, at Walton Soccer Stadium in Columbia, Missouri. The Tigers enter the matchup with a 1-1 SEC record, while Missouri will look to earn its first conference win after opening league play 0-2.
