Coming off a victory against Florida, Auburn will first travel to College Station, TX to play Texas A&M (6-4) who is coming off a loss to Oklahoma. The Tigers will then host the Ole Miss Rebels (5-6) in another SEC matchup.
“This may be the toughest environment we play in all year,” Tigers head coach Karen Hoppa said. “Texas A&M’s gameday experience and crowd is incredible. Their fans surround the stadium. It’s a fun environment, but it’s also very difficult and very distracting. As a team, they’re great as well. They’re obviously well-coached, and their three forwards are as good as any in this league.”
The Aggies are looking to upset the Tigers after losing a close one to the Sooners. Doing so will most likely involve some of their star players, Sydney Becerra and Mia Pante. Becerra has recorded nine points including three points and three assists on the season. She also leads the Aggies in shots on goal with 10. Pante, who scored a goal against the Sooners, will be a threat to the Tigers. She has seven points this season thus far with three goals and one assist.
Slowing down these two Aggies will be crucial for the Tigers in earning another win and in doing so, Auburn will need to continue to play tremendous defense. In the 10 games Auburn has played, the Tigers have only allowed two goals, tied for best in the SEC.
The Aggies allow the third most goals in the SEC, while Auburn scores the second most in the SEC. Expect an offensive affair between the two games with many shots taken between the two.
Auburn’s duo, Olivia Woodson and Anna Haddock have been great offensively and need to continue this effort against the Aggies. Woodson is 10th in the SEC in goals scored with six and Haddock is fourth in the SEC in assists with seven. These two have contributed a lot toward the offensive production and are going to be crucial to winning the match.
Next, Auburn will host Ole Miss in back-to-back SEC contests. The Rebels are coming off a three-game losing streak, so they will come out with a lot of intensity against Auburn.
Scouting Ole Miss, Kayla Keefer and Kelly Brady are two players to look out for. Keefer has 10 points in eight games, so she is already off to great start this season. Brady has seven points, recording three goals and one assist. She also leads the team in shots on goal with nine.
Ole Miss is 13th in the SEC in goals for and Auburn allows the second fewest goals in the SEC only behind Arkansas. This game will be a defensive affair where points will be hard to come by.
In the previous last 10 matchups, the Tigers are 7-3 against the Rebels with the largest margin of victory being 2-0 in favor of Auburn. Expect a similar low-scoring affair when these two meet.
Auburn will travel to College Station, TX to take on the Aggies on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 7p.m. CST. The Tigers will then welcome the Rebels to the Auburn Soccer Complex at 2p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 29. Both games will be televised on SECN+.
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Tyler Cox is a sophomore from Atlanta majoring in journalism. He joined The Plainsman in fall 2023.
