HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana women's soccer team will compete in its second Women's College Cup in three seasons when the Lady Lions travel to 19th-ranked Auburn University Saturday for a 6 p.m. first-round match at the Auburn Soccer Complex.
     
      Southeastern (13-4-4) is making its third trip to the Women's College Cup overall. The Lady Lions lost 4-1 at Florida State in the first round in 2009 and 4-0 at Nebraska in the opening round in 2013. Twelve members of the 2015 Lady Lions return from that 2013 squad and Southeastern head coach Blake Hornbuckle believes that experience can only help come Saturday night.
       
        "It's going to be a very tough match against a well-organized and a well-motivated Auburn team," Hornbuckle said. "They've got the ability to host this year and really want to put their best foot forward right away. Our goal is to make sure we put our best foot forward too and compete."
     
      Auburn (14-5-1), the fourth seed in the regional, is in the NCAA Tournament for the 13th time. The Tigers are a national seed for the first time since 2002 and are hosting a first-round match for the first time since 2011. Auburn has advanced to the second round six times, including in 2014 when it won at Florida Gulf Coast 1-0 before losing to Texas Tech at home 2-1. The Tigers not advanced to the Sweet 16.

    The match will be broadcast by SEC Network Plus at WatchESPN.com and via the WatchESPN app. Live stats, provided by Auburn, will be accessible at LionSports.net.
       
      Saturday's winner advances to play the winner of North Texas and Texas Tech in the second round Nov. 20-22. The championship match is scheduled for Dec. 6 in Cary, N.C.
       
        Southeastern received an automatic bid into the tournament after winning the Southland Conference Tournament Sunday, defeating Sam Houston State 3-1 on penalty kicks after the teams played through a 0-0 tie in regulation and two overtime periods.
       
        Senior forwards Gisenia Utreras and Kayla Vera and sophomore midfielder Ana Zadro connected for the Lady Lions in the PKs. Junior goalkeeper Hope Sabadash saved two of the penalty kicks, making a diving stop on the final attempt.
       
        Sabadash was named the tournament's MVP after making 21 saves in the three matches, including eight in the finals. Utreras, Vera, sophomore midfielder Maggie Ramsey and senior defender Maddie Allen also made the All-Tournament team. Ramsey had two goals in the tournament, including the game winner in a 1-0 win over Stephen F. Austin in the semifinals. Utreras had a goal and two assists.
       
        Auburn received an at-large bid after losing to fifth-ranked Florida 2-0 in the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Friday. The Tigers had advanced after defeating No. 16 South Carolina 5-3 on penalty kicks, rallying to tie the match at 2 in regulation. Sophomore midfielder Ellie Leek scored the tying goal in the 76th minute after sophomore forward Kristen Dodson had cut it to one in the 61st minute.                                          
       
        Southeastern overcame a string of injuries to finish fourth in the Southland with a 6-3-2 record. The Lady Lions rank among the Southland Conference leaders with 45 goals, 43 assists and 136 points, while allowing 18 goals and posting 10 shutouts.
       
        "We're really excited about the effort and output of the kids on the team," Hornbuckle said. "They've been absolutely tremendous in answering the bell with whatever we've asked them to do. We faced some adversity throughout the year just like all teams and we've been able to come through on the other side in a really great position."
       
        Utreras ranks in the top 10 in program history with 33 points, nine assists and 12 goals this season. Ramsey has added seven goals while sophomore midfielder Ana Zadro and junior forwards Bri Singh and Marisa Rodrigues four apiece. Zadro also has seven assists while freshman forward/midfielder Sofia Olsson has five.
       
        Sabadash goes into the NCAAs with an .82 goals against average after allowing 18 goals in 21 matches (1974:11 minutes). She has recorded 10 shutouts while pulling in 96 saves. The 10 saves are tied for second most in Lady Lions' history.
       
        Auburn comes into the tournament with 14 wins, tied for the second-most in school history. The Tigers went 9-1-0 at home, including a 3-2 win over No. 9 Florida and a 2-0 victory over No. 17 Texas A&M.
       
        Auburn has out-scored its opponents 34-19 on the season and out-shot them 319-210, including 118-93 on shots on goal. The Tigers have also recorded 40 assists.
       
        Junior forward Casie Ramsier leads the Auburn offense with 12 goals - second most in program history - and 26 points. Junior midfielder Brooke Ramsier has a team-high 10 assists while also scoring three goals. Dodson has four goals and freshman forward Taylor Troutman and senior defender Kala Faulkner three each. Sophomore defender Hannah Alspach has added six assists and Leek five.
       
        Redshirt freshman Sarah LeBeau saw the majority of the action in net for the Tigers, allowing 19 goals (.94 GAA) in 20 matches (1818:23 minutes) while recording 67 saves and six shutouts. Auburn has eight shutouts overall.
       
        Southeastern and Auburn have never met on the soccer pitch. The Lady Lions are 1-13 against members of the Southeastern Conference, with the win coming at LSU, 3-1, in the 1999 season opener. Southeastern has not played an SEC school since losing 2-1 at Mississippi State in the opening match of the 2012 season.
       
        Auburn's only previous match against a Southland Conference school came on Aug. 27, 2000, an 8-0 win over Nicholls State.