On The Plains with Anna Haddock: 'I know what it means to wear Auburn across your chest'

AUBURN, Ala. — “I know what it means to wear Auburn across your chest.”

Anna Haddock, a graduate midfielder for the Tigers, is known for her leadership and excellence on and off the field.

As a native of Bowling Green, Kentucky, Haddock left the Bluegrass State and traveled south to make a new home within The Loveliest Village on The Plains.

“I went on a couple of other visits, and Auburn just felt like home,” she said. “I think the staff, the people, and just hearing everyone say ‘War Eagle’ is just really special, and you don’t see that at other schools.”

During her sophomore year, Haddock had the honor of being named to the U-23 Women’s Youth National Team.

“I was invited as an alternate late, so I found out on Thursday and had to get on a flight Friday morning to Oregon. It was incredible. I got to play with some players that had been killing it in the NWSL, which is really awesome. It was such a great experience. I think I walked away a better player and more confident in myself knowing that I can play against anybody.”

While on The Plains, Haddock has played and started in a total of 76 matches. In those matches, she has tallied 18 goals and 31 assists.

“I think everyone can count on me to put in the work on both sides of the field. I believe that is a big part of my role,” Haddock said. “My role is to work as hard as I possibly can, help the team keep the ball, and help us get the ball in position to score a goal.”

Operating at peak performance is no easy task. She says she’s had to make adjustments to stay smooth around the edges.

“I have really been working on fine-tuning those little cheeky finishes, finding the corner, final balls and putting some texture on them, and hitting people right in stride so that they can score.”

One example of Haddock’s valor came during her sophomore year in the early part of the 2021 season.

“BYU in 2021, that was my sophomore year. They were ranked No.12 in the nation,” Haddock said. “We hosted them at home. It was the second game of the season on a Saturday night. The vibes were high. We won 2-1, and I scored both goals. It was awesome.”

Having played the game her whole life, Haddock has a system down that she uses in her daily life to maintain her excellence on the field.

“Sleep, nutrition, hydration and film, you could fill up your entire day with the things you have to do for soccer,” she said. “I take a lot of that pretty seriously, especially now that I’m old and like a grandma out here. I get a bit sorer every day, so I have to take rehab, treatment and recovery very serious.”

Being a dedicated athlete is only half her story though. Haddock is also a top-tier student. A member of Auburn’s MBA program, she has also been performing on a high level in the classroom.

In 2023, she was named SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year.

“That one was really special because there are a lot of awards that are strictly athletic related, and that one showed a lot more about everything that encompasses being a student-athlete,” Haddock said. “I am in the MBA program, which is partly a reason that I won that award – it is harder than undergraduate, and it was really time-demanding in the fall trying to find that balance between school and soccer.

“I am not just an athlete I am also a student, and I take my academics very seriously, so being able to get that one was a good feeling.”

For her final year on The Plains, Haddock and her team have high goals for the season.

“We would love to get a ring and if that comes through regular season or SEC Tournament, both would be great. We’re setup for that year. We have had a couple of unfortunate bounces and we have been so close to getting to where we need to be the last couple of years. I think it’s time for us to do the work and the cards to fall in our favor a little bit.

“We are hoping to get as much out of it as we can. This is my last year and there is no holding back. The last thing I want to do is walk off the field and regret this or that because that is a terrible feeling. I think our class is really motivated, and I have full faith that we can make a lot of noise in the SEC.”

Since the beginning of her career at Auburn, Haddock has been in a leadership role. She has been the calm voice on the field. She says that “through experiences and failures” she has been able to discover the type of leader she is and how she can best serve.

As she prepares for her final season on The Plains, Haddock wants to leave a legacy of someone who was a servant to her community.

“As the game is starting to shift more and more, I hope that I, and our team in general, will inspire a lot of the young girls in this community,” Haddock said. “We are always trying to get kids to come out to our games. One of the most rewarding things is when a kid says that they want to be just like you.

“I hope that kids and families have enjoyed watching me play and that I have inspired some people to keep going because when I was 13, I did not think that I would be playing Division I, SEC soccer, but you never know what’s possible.”