Georgia Faces No. 13 Auburn in SEC Road Finale Thursday

Georgia (7-4-5, 3-2-3 SEC) at No. 13/16 Auburn (12-1-3, 4-1-3 SEC)
Date: Thursday, Oct. 24
Time: 7:30 p.m. EDT
Location: Auburn, Ala.
Site: Auburn Soccer Complex (1,500)

MEDIA INFORMATION
Stream: SEC Network+ (Brit Bowen, PxP / Nick Flohre, Analyst)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
X: @UGASoccer
Instagram: @UGASoccer

Social Media: For complete information on Georgia soccer, follow the team on its social media channels via @UGASoccer on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Overall: Auburn leads 13-11-4
In Athens: Auburn leads 6-4-2
In Auburn: Tied, 5-5-2
Neutral: Tied, 2-2-0
Last Meeting: T, 0-0 (Oct. 26, 2023 – Athens, Ga.)
Current Streak / Last Five Meetings: T1 / 0-4-1
GF / GA: 31 / 32

QUICK KICKS
Road Rivals
Georgia, now ranked 33rd in the NCAA RPI rankings, faces No. 13 Auburn in its SEC road finale, looking to tie the Tigers in the SEC standings and put itself into position for an SEC Tournament bye heading into Sunday's season finale. The Bulldogs have earned a result in six of their last seven outings, including a 2-0 victory over Tennessee last Friday in Athens, while Auburn is looking to regain its winning ways after tying Kentucky, 0-0, in Lexington. Under Keidane McAlpine, Georgia is 11-2-6 against SEC opponents in road and neutral matches, with a result clinching the third unbeaten road conference record in program history and second in three years (2007, 2022).

Georgia is looking to earn its first victory over Auburn since a 1-0 road win on Oct. 25, 2015, also the most recent goal scored by the Dawgs on the Plains. Last season, the Bulldogs broke a six-match losing streak to the Tigers with a scoreless draw in last season's season finale in Athens. Thursday's match also marks Georgia's fifth ranked matchup of the year - the Bulldogs are 0-2-2 this season with ties against then-No. 7 Pitt and then-No. 1 Florida State. Georgia has not defeated an opponent in a true road match since beating then-No. 5 LSU in overtime in Baton Rouge in 2021.

Lady Vols Vanquished
Georgia earned consecutive SEC shutouts for the first time in two seasons with a 2-0 win over Tennessee last Friday at the Turner Soccer Complex. Following a quiet first 60 minutes of play, Georgia finally got on the board as Nicole Vernis notched her first goal of the season in the 67th minute, heading in a corner kick from Devon Winters. Just three minutes later, Dasia Torbert tallied her third goal of the season as she deposited an assist from graduate forward Tori Penn to extend the lead to two. Jordan Brown continued her amazing run of play, racking up six saves as she preserved her eighth clean sheet of the season. With the win, Georgia has now defeated Tennessee three straight times for the first time in program history and improved to 8-0 in Friday matches under Keidane McAlpine.

Tiger Ties
Georgia and Auburn carry many ties heading into Saturday's match, mainly on the coaching staff. Head coach Keidane McAlpine spent six seasons (2006-11) as an assistant coach under Karen Hoppa, helping the Tigers win three SEC West titles and the 2011 SEC Tournament. During his tenure, McAlpine coached director of recruiting and player development Sammy Towne, who was a team captain and All-SEC honoree. Towne also served as Director of Soccer Operations from 2016-17 and student assistant coach in 2011.

McAlpine, associate head coach Jason Lockhart, and assistant coach Kat Crump are all Alabama natives, hailing with Huntsville. On the Auburn side, forward Shelby Sallee was a teammate of Georgia defender Tyler Kaseta's on Xavier during the 2023 season, while midfielder Ava Caldwell is a Watkinsville, Georgia native.

Brown's Best
Junior goalkeeper Jordan Brown has provided consistent excellence for Georgia throughout the season, earning the No. 29 spot in Top Drawer Soccer's Midseason Top 100 Player rankings. Brown was the third-highest ranked goalkeeper in the country and highest-ranked in the SEC. The Las Vegas native was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season after shutting out Tennessee with six saves Friday. She now has 95 saves on the season and ranks fifth all-time in program history with 19 shutouts. She also leads the league in saves per game and total saves, while ranking second in save percentage – all three rank in the top 20 nationally as well.

Dawg Bites

With the Tennessee match, graduate forward Tori Penn made her 83rd appearance for Georgia, entering the program's top 10. Penn is the Bulldogs' active career leader in appearances, shots, and shots on goal, while ranking second in points and goals.
Georgia has displayed a great ability to play with the lead this season, holding a 7-1-1 record when scoring first in a match, with Mississippi State being the lone loss in such matchups this season. Friday's win over Tennessee was the first victory this season in which Georgia did not lead at halftime.
Sophomore midfielder Devon Winters has made a name for herself in conference play. After not tallying a point in her first 33 appearances, the Atlanta native has posted three assists in conference play, including a rare set piece service in Friday's win over Tennessee.
Assistant coach Rade Tanaskovic returned to the Georgia coaching staff for the Kentucky match after serving on the United States staff for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Colombia. Tanaskovic helped the U.S. earn third place in the tournament, allowing only seven goals with two shutouts.

Nation's Strongest Slate
Throughout his early tenure in Athens, Keidane McAlpine has made it a point to challenge his team with a difficult non-conference schedule. This year's schedule is no different with the slate currently ranking as the fifth-toughest nationally (first in the SEC) with a current .651 win percentage, bolstered by eight current and future opponents ranked top-30 in RPI.

Up Next
Georgia closes out the regular season against Texas on Sunday, Oct. 27 at 4 p.m. EDT at the Turner Soccer Complex.

Georgia Faces No. 13 Auburn in SEC Road Finale Thursday

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Players Mentioned

Jordan Brown

Tyler Kaseta

Tori Penn

Dasia Torbert

Nicole Vernis

Devon Winters