Auburn women’s soccer coach Karen Hoppa retires [Video]

Architect of the Auburn soccer program and the dean of the university’s coaches, coach Karen Hoppa announced her retirement on Tuesday.

Hoppa led the program for 26 seasons.

Her final season was one of her best, with the Tigers putting together a stellar run through non-conference play and contending for top national rankings for much of the season before bowing out of the NCAA Tournament last week in the round of 32.

Hoppa has been the head coach of Auburn soccer for most of the program’s history. Her first season with Auburn was in 1999. The program’s first season was in 1993. She led Auburn to 18 NCAA Tournament appearances, which are all the appearances the program’s ever made.

Also a pioneer through the emergence of women’s soccer at major colleges in the 1980s as a player and the 1990s as a coach, Hoppa retires as Auburn’s most accomplished female coach for team sports. Counting team sports …