AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn soccer unofficially kicks off the James Armstrong era with a pair of exhibition matches over the next week. First, the Tigers host Georgia Southern Saturday, Aug. 2 at 5 p.m. CT, followed by a trip to Memphis, where both sides are set to meet at 6 p.m. CT on Friday, Aug. 8.
Versus Georgia Southern, both teams will play three 30-minute periods as opposed to the customary 45-minute halves.
“I want to see intent on both sides of the ball,” Armstrong said. “We want to make sure we’re aggressive, playing on the front foot, looking forward when we can, making good decisions to retain the ball and winning the ball back as quickly as possible when we do lose it. It’s certainly not going to be perfect. There are going to be a lot of nerves and a lot of players touching the field. People are going to fail, but it’s going to be important that they have the mental fortitude and self-confidence to recover fast.”
The 2025 season officially begins Thursday, Aug. 14, as Auburn welcomes Louisville for a 6:30 p.m. clash. Samford also comes to town on Opening Weekend, facing the Tigers on Sunday, Aug. 17 at 6 p.m. CT.
“It’s a huge privilege to kick off the athletics season, but with that also comes a lot of responsibility,” Armstrong said. “Our young ladies are super excited to represent Auburn and Nike and to show our fanbase just how hard they’ve been working.”
All matches at the Auburn Soccer Complex are free and open to the public.