Auburn soccer draws Georgia State in tough match

Auburn soccer returned to the home pitch on Sunday and played a tight game with the Georgia State Panthers.

A first-half red card forced Auburn to play with just 10 players for most of the match, but that did not slow their tough defense as they limited the Panthers to just one goal in a 1-1 draw at the Auburn Soccer Complex.

The Tigers and Panthers traded goals in the first half, with Auburn taking the first nod on a strike by Dylan Driver in the 13th minute. Georgia State responded nine minutes later with a successful shot by Aaliyah Faddoul to tie the match at 1-1 in the 22nd minute.

Auburn's Grace Ivey made an aggressive tackle in the middle of the field just before halftime, which was deemed "fighting / violent behavior II" by the officials, resulting in an automatic red card and an ejection from the game. Despite having just 10 players for the second half, Auburn limited Georgia State to two shots and made just one save on defense.

“We talk about this team and the motto is ‘stick together,’ head coach James Armstrong said postgame. “I think they did an unbelievable job of that. We had some incredible performances. We didn’t go as deep into the bench but it’s tough to play with 10 players. I thought we organized ourselves well and created lot of chances even when it was 11 vs. 10, so I am proud of the effort tonight.”

Auburn returns to action Thursday on the road at UAB for a 7 p.m. CT match at PNC Field. Auburn will then trek to Homewood on Sunday to finish the week against Samford at 5 p.m. CT.

This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn soccer draws Georgia State in tough match