AUBURN, Ala. – No. 10 Auburn scored twice in the first five minutes en route to a 3-0 victory over the University of South Alabama soccer team Friday night at the AU Soccer Complex.

Three different Tigers scored, all on efforts from outside the 18-yard box. It was the season opener for both schools.

GAME FACTS
-Auburn's first goal came just 2:46 into the contest, when a service from the left wing from Taylor Troutman landed between two South Alabama players and an Auburn player, and bounced in
-The Tigers added another just over two minutes later on a 25-yard shot from Courtney Schell that hit the inside of the left post
-The third tally came 1:06 into the second half on another shot from distance by Ellie Leek
-Auburn outshot South Alabama 11-4, including a 5-1 edge on goal
-Freshman Selma Björgvinsdóttir led the Jags with two shots, and senior Chelsea Followwell had the team's lone shot on net
-USA goalkeeper Justice Stanford made two saves in 90 minutes and allowed all three goals

NOTES
-Auburn extended its win streak over South Alabama to 12 games, and leads the series between the two schools 13-1
-AU has held USA scoreless for a stretch of 355:29 in the last four games
-South Alabama last fell in a season opener in 2014, a 2-1 double-overtime defeat to Alabama-Birmingham
-Five freshmen were in South Alabama's starting XI, and two more made their collegiate debut off the bench

THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richard Moodie
Overall thoughts on the game: "I thought Auburn did a good job coming out. They came out strong in the first half and second half – that's when all of their goals came. It took us a long time to get settled in, but when we got settled in, we had some positive moments. Maybe we didn't create enough chances in the final third, but all in all, they were the better team for sure. They didn't really carve us apart – all three goals came from distance. If we had stayed in a game a little longer, it might've made it a bit more interesting for the fans that came out to support us."

On what led to the early goals: "I think we just overcompensated for the quality of our opponent. We sat so deep – maybe too deep – and that's a big difference when you play against some of the top teams in the country. If you sit off a kid from 25 or 30 yards, they're going to punish you. We sat too deep, anticipating a big, heavy push from them, getting the ball wide and crossing it. It was preventable, maybe, we just have to watch the video."

On the balance of the game: "They were pretty comfortable in possession, but I still think we have more special players that when they get on the ball they are magic. Sometimes you look at it and you wish you knew how to get that going from them all the time, but Auburn are quality opposition and you have to respect that. Ana Helmert had a good game, got the ball and was running at them, and made some high-quality players look average at times. They were the better team on the night. It's back to the drawing board and we have a couple of things to fix before Sunday."

On the adjustments that need to be made before Sunday: "I think the biggest thing is we're leaking goals. In three games we've played three quality teams and conceded seven goals. Nobody has really carved us apart and worked the ball around – maybe the Ole Miss goal was one – but today we allowed three shots from distance and LSU had two shots from distance. So there's five goals against in the same scenario. That's the biggest talking point right now – what is our defensive shape? We just have to get our bearings early on. This team grows as the game grows, so the longer we can keep teams at nil-nil, I think we'll grow into our confidence."

UP NEXT
The Jaguars continue their season opening road swing with a trip to No. 15 Florida State Sunday at noon CDT.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the Upper 90 Club, the soccer specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund.  All gifts to the Upper 90 Club go directly to support the South Alabama soccer program.  For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/upper90

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