AUBURN, Ala. – Tatiana Coleman fired off a match-high six shots but it was her final one that was the difference as the Auburn soccer team blanked the Southeastern Conference’s highest scoring team in a 1-0 victory on Sunday. The win moved Auburn’s record to 7-6-0, 3-3-0 SEC while Ole Miss dropped to 9-4-0, 2-4-0 SEC.

 

“This game was critical,” Auburn Head Coach Karen Hoppa said. “This is the best Ole Miss team we have seen in a while. Coach (Matt) Mott has them going in the right direction. They are a great team and that makes this an incredible result for us. This helps us in the SEC standings and it helps us in the overall standings. We are back to having a winning record, which is critical for post-season concerns.”

 

Coleman, who has scored in each of the last three games she has played in, looked to have the upper-hand on Ole Miss goalkeeper Kelly McCormick in the 75^th minute but the Ole Miss keeper came off her line to challenge Coleman 1v1 and won. Coleman came right back with her third shot in a 67-second span and finally beat McCormick, slotting one between the diving goalkeeper’s arms and the post for her fourth goal of the season for the game’s only goal.

 

“In soccer you get a lot of chances where you don’t score. (Tatiana) had a really good look just a minute before. You have to have a short memory with things like that and she did. We felt like it was coming and that was a great finish,” Hoppa said.

 

“This is a quality (Ole Miss) team and I knew I wasn’t going to get many chances. I just stuck with it and was patient with it,” Coleman said. “I knew I was going to get one sooner or later so I tried to erase (the earlier save) from my mind immediately.”

 

Auburn goalkeeper Amy Howard played a vital role in the win, making six saves as Ole Miss ripped off 16 total shots. The shutout was her third of the season and her first against a SEC opponent this season. It was also the 18^th of her career.

 

“Amy Howard led our defense today with Mary Nicholson going down (with an injury in the first half) and us having to sub in a freshman (Sophie Simantel),” Hoppa said. “Amy made at least two big saves that kept us in the game and gave us a chance to win. To get a shutout against one of the best three-fronts we have seen all year is really a fantastic performance by her.”

 

Auburn stays at home for its next two matches, playing host to Mississippi State at 7:30pm on Friday, Oct. 5, and Tennessee at 1pm on Sunday, Oct. 7. The Auburn-Tennessee match will air live on CSS.

 

Follow Auburn Soccer on twitter @AU_Soccer.