Auburn Blanked By No. 10 Texas A&M, 2-0

by Dan Froehlich Auburn Media Relations

September 23, 2012

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Auburn soccer team met the same fate as the last six teams to play No. 10 Texas A&M, getting shutout by a 2-0 count. The loss dropped Auburn’s record to 5-6-0, 1-3-0 SEC while Texas A&M improved to 10-1-0, 4-0-0 SEC.

“We battled really hard today and we played well,” Auburn Head Coach Karen Hoppa said. “Texas A&M is the number ten team in the country and we played right with them. We were toe-to-toe right with them. The difference came down to they finished two great chances and we didn’t.”

Texas A&M got on the board in the 38^th minute when a cluster of both Texas A&M and Auburn players were packed into the penalty box. With the ball going towards the end line, Auburn goalkeeper Amy Howard came out of the goal mouth but was unable to corral the loose ball, allowing Bianca Brinson to pop the ball up and over to Catalina Clavijo, who one-touched it in for her first goal of the season.

Texas A&M added an insurance goal with just 4:58 left when it converted on a free kick. The initial play had Jayne Eadie banking a shot off the cross bar but the rebound went right to the foot of Beth West, who wasted little time in striking the ball past Howard for her first goal of the season.

Auburn was able to take 14 shots, but only three of them went on frame. Auburn was able to create some good scoring opportunities though. Alexa Allen almost snapped Texas A&M’s shutout streak in the 31^st minute but her shot hit the post and bounced back into the field. Nine minutes later it was Ana Cate just missing on an opportunity as her header from an Ashley Kotero cross went just inches to the wrong side of the post.

Howard finished with five saves on 15 Texas A&M shots while Texas A&M goalkeeper Jordan Day made four saves while posting her seventh straight shutout.

Auburn returns home for a stretch of four consecutive home matches, starting Friday, Sept. 28 at 7pm against South Carolina.

Follow Auburn Soccer on twitter @AU_Soccer.