Chandler Hillen saved a penalty kick in the final seconds of the first half and Heather Havron and Ana Cate each collected goals as Auburn ran its unbeaten streak to seven straight with a 2-1 win at Denver on Sunday morning. The win moves Auburn’s record to 6-1-1 while Denver is now 6-2-0.

 

“This was a great win and really a great weekend. If you can come out here, this far away from home, dealing with elements and a field and all those conditions we are not used to and half our team is sick, we came out of the weekend undefeated is fantastic,” Auburn Head Coach Karen Hoppa said. “This is huge win because, even though we aren’t halfway through the season, we compete for a NCAA Tournament spot directly against Denver and now we have a direct head-to-head result with them so this is a big, quality win for us.”

 

Hillen finished the match with five saves on 17 Denver shots, but none was bigger than her diving stop on a Sam Harder penalty kick with just three seconds left in the first half that preserved Auburn’s two-goal advantage going into the half.

 

Ana Cate’s fourth goal of the season gave Auburn a quick 1-0 lead less than three minutes in. Katy Frierson controlled the possession and crossed it to Mary Coffed, who took a shot which Cate deflected in. The assist was the 34^th of Frierson’s career, which tied the school record held by Maggie Cauley (1994-97) while Cate has now scored in three straight matches, one shy of the school record.

 

Heather Havron’s goal off of a free kick from 35 yards out put Auburn up 2-0 with 4:58 left in the first half. Frierson drew the foul, setting the stage for Havron’s free kick. The goal, which was the second of Havron’s career and first since the 2009 NCAA Tournament, bounced in the box and over Denver goalkeeper Lara Campbell’s head, which was partially due to the distraction Julie King created in the box, running in on Campbell but never getting a head on the ball.

 

“Katy did a great job of drawing the foul and after I took the free kick it was all Julie. Julie ran in on the goalie and it wouldn’t have gone in if she hadn’t created havoc in there like she normally does,” Havron said. “Our defense was focused and battling the whole game. We knew it was going to be a physical game and no one let down until the end. Coming off of a 110-minute game on Friday it was awesome for everyone to play through the 90^th minute.”

 

Denver was awarded a second penalty kick just over two minutes in the second half and this time converted when Nicholette DiGiacomo beat Hillen for her third goal of the season, putting the score at 2-1 with 43:25 left in regulation.

 

The match was a very physical one in the first half as Auburn was whistled for 12 fouls and Denver eight and a total of five yellow cards were issued in the first 45 minutes. The style of the match changed in the second half as each team was called for just four fouls each.

 

“This win showed our team character. It didn’t matter what was going on. To be a championship-level team you have to be able to overcome adversity and we did that this weekend,” Hoppa said.

 

Auburn returns home for the start of SEC play on Friday when it plays host to Kentucky at 7:30pm CT.

 

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