NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Auburn soccer team is going to a 12^th consecutive Southeastern Conference Tournament after picking up a 4-1 win at Vanderbilt on Friday night. Auburn received goals from four different players in the win, which improved Auburn’s record to 10-8-0, 6-5-0 SEC and puts Auburn in sixth place in the SEC with two league matches remaining. Vanderbilt fell to 5-8-5, 2-5-4 SEC.

 

“This is a huge victory tonight,” Auburn Head Coach Karen Hoppa said. “This is a good Vanderbilt team. To be able to clinch a spot in the SEC Tournament this early and know we are playing in the postseason is great for this team. It was a fantastic effort by our team.”

 

Senior Mary Coffed played a big role in the win, scoring the game-winner in the eighth minute and then collecting the first assist on the second goal, the first time this season she has been involved in multiple goals in the same match.

 

“We were so fired up playing the game,” Coffed said. “We saw this as an opportunity to extend our season with a win in this game. We scored four great goals in a crucial match. It was exciting to see everyone come together tonight.”

 

Coffed opened the scoring with her 15^th career goal as Auburn capitalized on a free kick. Bianca Sierra served a ball in that Ashley Kotero flicked back to Coffed. The goal, which was struck from eight yards out, was the first in a first half for Auburn since the 4-2 win over South Carolina, a span of five matches. The goal also placed Coffed in the Auburn career record books, in a six-way tie for 10^th in career goals.

 

“Getting an early goal was key tonight,” Hoppa said. “It was a great free kick where Ashley flicked it perfectly to Mary. That gave us some cushion even though we lost the run of play in the first half. In the second half to have three different people put goals away and end this game was fantastic. We got a lot of players a lot of minutes. The kids came off the bench and did a really good job of finishing the game.”

 

Auburn needed just over a minute of play in the second half to increase its lead to 2-0 as Maddie Barnes made a back-post run on a Coffed cross and headed in the goal, her second of the season.

 

Tori Ball put Auburn up three goals in the 73^rd minute when she dribbled up the field and through the Vanderbilt backline before putting one past the diving Vanderbilt goalkeeper for her fifth goal of the season.

 

Logan Beal capped the Auburn scoring with her first career goal, finishing off an Ana Cate cross in the 81^st minute for the insurmountable 4-0 lead.

 

Vanderbilt avoided the shutout with 15 seconds remaining as Erin Myers scored off of free kick.

 

Auburn’s 12 straight SEC Tournaments is the third-longest active streak in the league behind only Florida (18) and Tennessee (15), both of which already clinched their spots.

 

Auburn travels to Kentucky on Sunday for a 1:30pm CT kickoff. Auburn is chasing Kentucky in the overall SEC standings, sitting just a point behind UK.

 

Follow Auburn Soccer on twitter @AU_Soccer.