AU SOCCER: 4 Tigers honored by SEC

The Southeastern Conference coaches recognized the work of four Auburn soccer players on Tuesday, voting Katy Frierson First Team All-SEC, Rebecca Howell and Sammy Towne Second Team All-SEC and Amy Howard Freshman All-SEC.

Auburn opens the SEC Tournament at 2:30 p.m. today against No. 3 seed Ole Miss.

“We are very excited that four of our players have been recognized by the SEC. Katy, Becca, Sammy and Amy have all been an integral part of our success this year, and we are very proud of them,” Auburn head coach Karen Hoppa said.

Frierson leads Auburn with 18 points, collecting five goals and eight assists, all of which rank in the top 10 among SEC players for all games. In SEC-only games, she has collected 11 points on three goals and five assists, with both her points and assists ranking in the top 10 in the conference.

A First Team All-SEC and the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2008, Frierson is the third Auburn player to be voted to the First Team in each of her first two years at Auburn, joining Maggie Cauley and Kristen Schier, who both did it in 1994 and 1995.

Howell is Auburn’s top goal scorer with eight goals on the year, which is tied for eighth in the SEC.

Howell, from Satellite Beach, Fla., has scored 22 career goals at Auburn, which is tied with Tiffany Smith (1993-96) and Chrissy Culver (2001-04) for fifth in school history. She is also just the seventh player in Auburn history to break the 60-point barrier (65 pts) for a career as her 21 assists are also fifth in school history.

Towne has been a leader on Auburn’s back line all season long. A center back, she has started 18 out of 19 matches this season, missing just the match at Mississippi State after breaking her arm in a 0-0 tie with then-No. 1 North Carolina while blocking a shot.
A team captain, she has helped Auburn close the season on a 259-minute shutout streak to win the final three regular-season matches and clinch the No. 6 seed in this week’s conference tournament.

A big question mark coming into the season with no returning goalkeeper on the roster, Howard put those fears to rest with her play between the posts. A three-time SEC Freshman of the Week, she is second in the SEC with 106 saves, which is second in Auburn history for a single-season and already sixth for an Auburn career. She is also second in the SEC with 5.58 saves per game, is sixth with a .822 save percentage and 10th with a 1.18 goals against average. Her five shutouts are also tied for 10th in the league.

The selection of Frierson to the first team gives Auburn 18 all-time First Team selections. Auburn has now had either a First- of Second-Team selection in 10 straight seasons.

Auburn has now had at least one player voted to the All-Freshman Team in six of the last seven seasons.