Coming off two tough losses to SEC foes Vanderbilt and Arkansas, Auburn (11-5-1, 3-5-1 SEC) returns home for their final regular season game against rival Alabama (8-7-3, 2-5-2 in SEC) for the Iron Bowl of Soccer Thursday at 8 p.m. CT.
About Auburn:
· Auburn is 7-2-0 at home this season
· The team comes into play leading the SEC in assists and assists per game (2.53), which ranks them 10th nationally
· The Tigers are third in the SEC in goals scored per game (2.29) and 9th nationally in points per game (7.12)
· Defender Alyssa Malonson is tied for 1st in the SEC in assists with 8
· Midfielder Bri Folds is 4th in points in the SEC with 23, including 8 goals and 7 assists, and 4th in shots per game (3.56)
· Defensively, Auburn is tied for 3rd in the SEC with 4 shutouts in conference play
· Auburn is currently 9th in the SEC. The top 10 teams qualify for the SEC Tournament and the top 6 teams earn a 1st round bye
· If Auburn is able to win against Alabama, they will have qualified for the SEC Tournament for the 17th straight season
About Alabama:
· Alabama is 1-4-2 on the road this season
· The Crimson Tide are 2nd in the SEC in saves with 83 through 17 games
· Goalkeeper Alex Plavin is 4th in the SEC in saves per game with 4.18
· Forward Casey Wertz is 5th in the SEC in goals with 8
· Currently, Alabama is 11th in the SEC. If they are able to beat Auburn, then they will have the tiebreaker over the Tigers and will slide into the tournament
Recent Series History:
· Auburn has dominated the series since 2012, recording a 5-0-1 record against Alabama
Players to Watch:
Sarah Le Beau: The senior goalkeeper is playing in her 85th game as an Auburn Tiger and has a career record of 52-25-7 with 28 shutouts. This will be her final game in the Iron Bowl of Soccer
Abbie Boswell: The senior forward leads Alabama and is 2nd in the SEC with an average of 3.72 shots per game
