2001 Season Review - Soccer
2001 Season Review
Auburn broke it's attendance record in the 2001 season with their game against North Carolina. The Tar Heels were ranked as the No. 1 team in the nation and the reigning NCAA Champion. A count of 2,523 were present to see to the hard-fought match, at which Auburn lost 2-0. The Tigers continued their reign as tournament champions by winning the University of Virginia Tournament in Charlottesville. The team began the tournament with a 2-1 win over St. Louis, which sent them to the championship game. In the championship match, the unranked Tigers With that win over Virginia, the program's first over a top-10 team, marked the first of three wins Auburn would earn over ranked opponents in 2001. The next two came against SEC opponents. The Tigers pulled out a 2-1 victory over No. 16 Tennessee to also mark AU's first win against the Lady Vols in school history. The last win came against 19th ranked Georgia in the first round of the SEC Tournament. Reeling from their loss to the Bulldogs earlier in the season, the Tigers fought from behind to win 3-2. The strong play against these ranked opponents saw Auburn receive it's first national ranking as well as its highest and longest ranking in the region. For a period, the Tigers were ranked 21st by the NSCAA/adidas poll and 19th by the collegesoccer.com media poll. The team also hit 4th in the central regional ranking by NSCAA/adidas in its' 10 consecutive weeks in the poll. The time span was double Auburn's previous record in regional standings. The team's high rankings were also due to the school's record in SEC play. The Tigers tied their previous record of five wins in the SEC with victories over Tennessee, Arkansas, LSU, Vanderbilt and Alabama. The last time Auburn matched this feat was in 1997 with wins over Mississippi, Mississippi State, Arkansas, South Carolina and Alabama. All these wins showed the team's dominance in the conference and was confirmed with their first-ever Southeastern Conference Western Division title and the magnificent run in the SEC tournament. With the 2-1 win over Alabama, Auburn earned a share of the division title with The 2001 season also saw the outstanding individual feats of Megan Rivera. Rivera claimed three Auburn records in her freshman season. She was able to maintain the school's best goals against Megan Rivera continued to add to her reputation through the close of the season. At the Southeastern Conference Awards Banquet, Rivera took home first-team All-SEC goalkeeper, SEC Freshman of the Year and SEC All-Tournament awards. She was also honored nationally with a Kellie Evans picked up a few awards, as well, in 2001. She was named to the all-tournament team for the Virginia Tournament and the SEC Tournament. In the post season, Evans was named to Soccer Buzz's third-team All-Central Region. Currently, she ranks third all-time Other Tigers stood out in the 2001 season as well. In the Virginia Tournament, Gretchen Winters was named tournament MVP. Jennifer Walters and Rivera made the all-tournament team as well and at the SEC tournament, Sandra Carnes earned all-tournament honors. The 2001 season proved to be a great year for the Tigers. With the outstanding conference record, wins over ranked teams and a national ranking, Auburn continues moving closer and closer to challenging for the national title. Under the direction of Coach Karen Richter, the team
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After the Tigers' impressive 2000 season, one would find it hard to believe that Auburn could add to that success. The 2001 season proved to be new ground in terms of many areas for Auburn. Under the direction of Coach Karen Richter, the Tigers continue to mount a multitude of awards and accolades never seen in it's history.
