Georgia Opens SEC Play at No. 12 Auburn Friday

Georgia (7-1-0) at No. 12 Auburn (6-1-0)
Date: Friday, Sept. 17
Time: 7:30 p.m. EDT
Location: Auburn, Ala.
Site: Auburn Soccer Complex (1,500)

MEDIA INFORMATION
Live Stream: SEC Network+ (Brit Bowen, PxP / Mac Matthew, Analyst)
Live Stats: GeorgiaDogs.com
Twitter: @UGASoccer

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

QUICK KICKS
Series History
This is the 28^th all-time meeting between Georgia and Auburn. Auburn currently leads the series by a 13-11-3 margin. In the most recent meeting, the Tigers prevailed, 1-0, at home on March 13, 2021.

Rivals Face Off in SEC Opener
Following one of its strongest non-conference seasons in program history, Georgia opens SEC play with a road trip to No. 12 Auburn. The two rivals met three times during the 2020-21 season, with the Tigers taking all three matches, including a 2-1 double overtime victory in the SEC Tournament. Georgia enters the match riding a six-match winning streak, while Auburn is looking to rebound from a 2-1 loss to No. 1 Florida State last Sunday, its first defeat of the season.

Belisle is the Best
Graduate forward Mollie Belisle continued her outstanding season with a deep strike against Charleston, giving Georgia its lone goal of the match. Currently, Belisle ranks first nationally with 10 goals and is tied for third in points with 20. Through eight matches, Belisle has already set a new career high for scores in a season and now ranks ninth in school history with 21 goals. She is also the first player to score double-digit goals in a season Marion Crowder notched 11 in 2013.

Racking Up Awards
After the backline held Presbyterian and Charleston to a combined one corner kick and eight shots, senior defender Cecily Stoute was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week. She joins teammate Mollie Belisle, who was named the United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Week and SEC Offensive Player of the Week, making her the first Bulldog to earn national honors since Marion Crowder in 2013.

Statement Win for Dawgs
Georgia earned its greatest win in recent program history with a 3-1 victory over then-No. 15 Clemson on Sept. 2. The win was the first over the Tigers since 2009 and was the first over a ranked opponent since 2015. The win has helped propelled Georgia to No. 4 in this week's USC Southeast Region rankings and receive 43 votes for the national poll.

Putting Up Numbers
Through eight matches, the Georgia attack ranks second in the nation with 33 goals, surpassing the 18 scored all of last season. The Bulldogs ranked first for the last two weeks until South Alabama moved ahead following a 15-0 win over Alcorn State. With 4.12 goals per match, the scoring offense ranks third nationally and first in the SEC.

Blistering Start
Georgia's 7-1 start is one of the finest in program history, one of only six times the Bulldogs have posted seven wins in their first eight matches. This year's start is only eclipsed by 7-0-1 openings to the 1999 and 2009 seasons. The best start in program history was a 10-1 open in 2007.

Sharing is Caring
Through eight matches, Georgia ranks fourth nationally in total assists with 32. Seniors Abby Boyan and Dani Murguia rank second in the league in assists with seven apiece, while also ranking fifth nationally. In total, 12 different Bulldogs have notched at least one assist in the opening stretch of the season.

Run of Consistency
Thanks to a quartet of Bulldogs, the Georgia starting lineup has remained remarkably consistent. Graduate defender Kayla Bruster has started in 68 consecutive appearances, while seniors Abby Boyan (60) and Cecily Stoute (58) have also continued streaks of their own. Senior midfielder Bella Ponzi (56) and senior goalkeeper Emory Wegener (55) have also joined the "50 Club" this season.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mollie Belisle

Abby Boyan

Kayla Bruster

Dani Murguia

Bella Ponzi

Cecily Stoute

Emory Wegener

University of Georgia Athletics