Auburn Tigers
Overall Rank: #34
Conference Rank: #4 SEC
Auburn Team Page
It was an interesting journey in 2012 for the Auburn women’s soccer program. It was a season where the Tigers never went on a long unbeaten streak, or had a long losing streak. The Tigers never lost more than two matches in a row. They also did not win more than three in a row. The Tigers return a good mix of talent but it will be a younger squad for veteran head coach Karen Hoppa. The goal is simply to win a Southeastern Conference Championship and make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. The key is going to be shoring up the defense and taking care of business in the attacking end to keep the opposition on their heels all season long.
2012 Record: 13-11-1, 7-6-0
2012 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Karen Hoppa
Strengths:
Tori Ball returns as another vital threat to the offensive attack for Auburn. Ball had six goals and three assists in 2012. She is one of the more versatile players on the squad and can play outside back or be plugged in the midfield or up top at forward without missing a beat. Her senior leadership is going to be very important to stabilize the Tigers offensively throughout this upcoming season as well. Another key strength for the Tigers is going to be a very talented freshmen class. The twin sister combination of Brooke and Casie Ramsier and incoming freshman Savannah Miller will need to be ready to contribute early in order to replace the missing goals from the departed Tatianna Coleman. Maddie Barnes was the leading returner in assist from a year ago with four. Barnes will need to be able to distribute the ball to Ball and others, and if she can double her assist total from last year, that will be a huge boost for Auburn in 2013.
Weaknesses:
The defense will be a big point of emphasis for Auburn to improve upon in 2013. The Tigers allowed 113 corner kick opportunities last season. While, they did not allow a goal off a corner, that number has to decrease in 2013. Auburn’s ability to take more control in the attack and not have to defend quite so much will be a huge benefit if the Tigers expect to be in the mix for a conference championship. They also have to replace the graduated Amy Howard in goal. Howard was a rock at goalkeeper and the Tigers will have to find a resolution early to be ready for the SEC play. A leading candidate to potentially replace Howard is junior transfer from TCU, Alicen Wright.
Final Projection:
Auburn will know where they stand right away on the national scene in the opening weekend of the season when they play at Florida State. The trip to Tallahassee is always difficult and the Seminoles dynamic style of soccer will test the Tiger’s backline immediately. The rest of the non-conference slate should set the Tigers up to go on a bit of a run since they are virtually at home outside of the Florida State match. The two toughest road tests in conference are at Florida on October 6th and at Tennessee on October 18th. The Tigers overall have been a very consistent program and have been to the NCAA Tournament for seven straight seasons. This year should be number eight as they should be able to outscore teams with Ball and an improved backline.
Projected Postseason: NCAA
Returning Leaders:
Goals: Tori Ball, Junior, Forward, 6
Assists: Maddie Barnes, Senior, Midfielder/Forward, 4
Shots: Tori Ball, Junior, Forward, 46
Saves: None
Madness 2013 Women’s Soccer Recruit Rankings:
#121 Haley Roberson
#131 Brooke Ramsier
#138 Kiana Clarke
See All Women's Soccer Top 44 Team Previews
