The Auburn Tigers delivered a strong performance against the Alabama Crimson Tide in last night's game, but fell short. The Iron Bowl of women's soccer took place Friday night in Tuscaloosa at the Alabama Soccer Stadium. Auburn scored the most goals in SEC play this game, but it wasn't enough to defeat its biggest rivals. The game ended 4-3, Auburn losing by just one point.
Despite the result, Auburn (5-5-4, 1-3-3 SEC) showed tenacity and offensive ingenuity in an intense Iron Bowl of Soccer game. Head coach James Armstrong highlighted his team's grit and drive against the skilled Crimson Tide (10-4-1, 4-3-0 SEC).
“Really proud of the effort of the girls tonight,” Armstrong said. “Unfortunately, we just couldn’t close out the game. We’ll regroup and get ready for Oklahoma on Thursday.”
As seen in past matches, Auburn started the game strong and scored early. Junior Olivia Woodsen came in hot and scored in the ninth minute with a stunning goal coming from the right side of the box. Junior Grace Ivey assisted with her goal. This set the tone and excitement for the game right off the bat and continued to build game tension throughout the night.
Alabama promptly responded to this quick goal, scoring twice in the 19th and 31st minutes to take a 2-1 advantage. However, Auburn emerged from halftime with increased vigor and authority, driving forward on the counterattack while maintaining pressure on the Tide defense.
Junior Jordyn Crosby scored a remarkable goal only nine minutes into the second half. Crosby seized on an unsecured ball near the top of the penalty area and hit a left-footed strike that sailed into the upper 90 of the far post for her debut goal of the year and fifth overall at Auburn.
Auburn's offensive push persisted in the 68th minute, when Woodson was awarded a penalty kick when her shot hit the hand of an Alabama player inside the penalty area. Senior Erin Flurey calmly stepped up and scored her fourth penalty goal of the entire season, giving the Tigers a 3-2 lead and bringing her goal total to double digits for the year.
Auburn’s lead was short-lived due to one of Alabama’s star players, Gianna Paul, scoring the game equalizer in the 82nd minute of the match. Despite their strong efforts, Auburn was unable to find the power and perversion to score any more points.
The seven-goal game displayed Auburn's offensive prowess and featured numerous outstanding performances all over the field. Although the outcome did not go according to plan, the Tigers' three-goal performance was their best offensive result in SEC play this season.
Auburn now turns its focus back home as the Tigers host Oklahoma on Thursday, Oct. 16, at the Auburn Soccer Complex. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT, and the match will serve as Breast Cancer Awareness Night.
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Cate is a junior majoring in journalism sports production. She started with The Plainsman in the fall of 2025.
You can follow her on X (Twitter) at @catemcmackin_
