A crop of new Tigers is on the Plains and ready for the 2021 season. Follow along over the next two weeks as we re-introduce our 2021 class through a question and answer segment with each player.
Our second newcomer to be re-introduced to the Auburn Family is freshman midfielder and Gatorade Alabama Player of the Year Haley Duca.
Hometown: Chelsea, Alabama
High School: Chelsea High School
Club Team: Alabama FC
Birthdate: Feb. 20, 2003
Instagram: @haleyduca
Q: Who or what inspired you to play soccer?
A: My parents are the ones who inspired me to play soccer. Both my parents grew up playing and my dad went on to play collegiate soccer, so it was no question what sport my sister and I were going to play while growing up. As I got older and had the choice of whether to keep playing or not, my love for the sport was too strong to stop.
Q: What is your favorite soccer memory growing up?
A: Up until I was about 13 years old I was on a 3v3 team called The Grasshoppers, and we would go to nationals every year, which was held at Disney's Wide World of Sports. We would always end up going far in the tournament, but our last time going we placed third overall for our age group.
Q: What is your biggest accomplishment on or off the field?
A: A very large accomplishment for me is winning the Gatorade Alabama Girls Player of the Year award. It is such a big accomplishment for me because I was the first athlete ever from my high school to win it.
Q: Do you have any pre-match superstitions?
A: My pre-match superstition is that I always ask one of my teammates to do two mini-Dutch braids in my hair that I then put into a ponytail.
Q: What were your biggest factors in choosing Auburn?
A: Choosing to go to school at Auburn and play soccer was not a hard decision at all for me. One of the main factors for choosing Auburn was the feeling I had when I stepped on campus. I felt at home right away. It was also an easy decision to choose Auburn because of the soccer program itself.
Q: What is your favorite Auburn tradition?
My favorite Auburn tradition is by far the rolling of Toomer's Corner. My first time ever rolling Toomer's was two years ago at the Iron Bowl, and it was such a fun experience.
Q: What are you most excited about for the upcoming season?
A: I am most excited to get to experience my first collegiate soccer game with such a great and well-rounded group of players.
Q: If you could eat one meal for the rest of your life what would it be?
A: If I had to eat one meal for the rest of my life I would have to go with a medium rare filet with broccoli and potatoes.
Q: If you could have any superpower what would it be and why?
A: The superpower I would want would be the ability to read people's mind, because even now I am always wondering what people are thinking.
Q: What is your favorite movie or TV show?
A: My favorite TV show is Ginny and Georgia on Netflix. My family and I binged it in about three days. We're all waiting anxiously for season two to come out.
Q: What major do you plan to pursue and what led you to choosing that subject?
A: I plan on majoring in Biomedical Sciences, specifically the pre-med route. I chose this major because I plan to be a dermatologist.
Q: What are your biggest goals during your time at Auburn?
A: My biggest goal while at Auburn is to help the team succeed in any way that I can, while also succeeding on my own. Whether that be getting better on the field or just being successful in the classroom.
Q: What do you hope to do when your playing days are over?
A: When my playing days come to an end I hope to be in medical school earning my degree so I can achieve my goal of becoming a dermatologist.