Karen Hoppa's Tigers are going dancing. Auburn (12-5-2, 4-5-1 SEC) earned its fifth straight and 16th NCAA Tournament berth in program history when the Tigers were selected as a host in the 2018 field Monday afternoon. The Tigers will host Big Ten Tournament champion Minnesota (11-8-2, 5-5-1 Big Ten) on Friday.

"When our name came up and the asterisk was next to it we were thrilled," said Auburn head coach Karen Hoppa. "We felt confident we were going to get in with our résumé, RPI and everything we did in the regular season, but we weren't sure about hosting. You never know, so that was the part I was most thrilled about was to give this team and our seniors one more home game." Auburn joins eight other SEC squads in this year's tournament, matching a conference record for representatives.

Auburn is 9-6 in the Big Dance all-time and has won its first-round game in the past four seasons. Hoppa's group advanced to its first ever Sweet 16 in 2015, followed by its first Elite 8 the next season. "We're super excited to host," said Tigers senior captain Gianna Montini. "It's an amazing feeling. We know Minnesota is going to be a great challenge, but we're excited to have another game here on The Plains."

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The Golden Gophers are fresh off a win over Penn State in the Big Ten title game over the weekend. Friday will mark the third-ever meeting between the teams, with both touting one victory apiece. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. CST at the Auburn Soccer Complex.

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