AUBURN, Ala. — After opening Southeastern Conference play in Oxford last week, Auburn finally returns home to host its first intraleague match against Texas A&M before closing the weekend on the road at No. 12 Mississippi State.
Kickoff versus the Aggies is set for Thursday, Sept. 18 at 6:30 p.m. CT. Nick Flohre and Brit Bowen have the call on SECN+. Radio coverage will also be available via WEGL 91.1. Kickoff in Starkville is set for Sunday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. CT. Also on SECN+, Anthony Craven and Cody Blaszczak have that call.
"We expect typical Texas A&M,” Auburn head coach James Armstrong said. “They're organized. They're big. They're athletic. They're strong. They're dangerous in transition and good on set pieces. They lost their home opener to Georgia on Friday night, so we know they'll be looking to rebound from that. We need to ensure we're prepared to handle them.
“It’s obviously going to be a little different going back to Starkville,” Armstrong added. “I have so many great memories there of the community. Very proud of what we achieved on and off the pitch. I’m really excited to take our group there to play a really talented team that has started the year on a great note.”
AUBURN NOTABLES
Auburn opened SEC play last weekend with a 1-1 draw at Ole Miss. The Tigers mightily overpowered the Rebels, outshooting them 28-4 while also creating 13 corner kicks and controlling nearly 70% possession. Still, Ole Miss goalkeeper Sidney O’Billovich was up to the task as she made a career-high 11 saves to earn SEC Defensive Player of the Week.
The 28 shots generated in Oxford were the most ever by an Auburn team on the road in a conference match. The prior record was 26, which the Tigers hung on Alabama in 2001.
Junior Grace Ivey bagged her first goal as a Tiger versus the Rebels. She was assisted by junior Dylan Driver and freshman Gracie Brown. It was Brown’s first collegiate assist. With the final pass, Driver earned the 14th assist of her career, and her league-leading sixth of the season.
Through eight matches, Auburn’s minutes played leaders are senior center back Taylor Chism (654), freshman center back Lily Devereaux (647) and senior holding midfielder Hayden Colson (614). All three players went the full 90 at Ole Miss.
SCOUTING TEXAS A&M
This season, G Guerrieri’s Aggies are off to a 3-2-3 start with wins over Lamar (1-0), UConn (2-1), and Lafayette (7-1). They opened conference play hosting No. 24 Georgia in a match which the Bulldogs won 3-0. Both teams created double-digit shots in the contest; however, the Aggies were only able to place two of their 14 looks on frame.
Offensively, Texas A&M is led by Leah Diaz, who has 10 points on four assists and three goals. Right behind Diaz with eight points are Trinity Buchanan and Kaylee Noble, both of whom have three goals and two assists.
Defender Bella Yakel has yet to leave the pitch this season, seeing all 720 minutes of action. Behind Yakel in goal, the Aggies have tinkered with three different goalkeepers, but it is Sydney Fuller who has eaten the bulk of the load. Fuller was A&M’s starter a year ago. In 2025, she averages 1.33 goals against with 19 saves and eight goals allowed.
Texas A&M holds the 10-4-1 series advantage with the Tigers since the programs first met in 2012, when the Aggies joined the league. Auburn has a slight advantage, 3-2-1, when squaring off on The Plains. Last year, an unbeaten Auburn traveled to Bryan-College Station only to be defeated 4-1. The Tigers return seven players who saw time in last year’s loss and add an Aggie transfer in Ivey, who scored the third goal against Auburn in the match.
SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI STATE
Mississippi State has not skipped a beat since the departure of Armstrong. Nick Zimmerman’s Bulldogs are off to a 6-1-0 start and are ranked 12th in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll. They have notable nonconference wins over No. 10 Wake Forest (2-1) and at Oklahoma State (1-0). MSU’s lone loss thus far was a 2-0 falter at Baylor.
Last weekend, Mississippi State opened SEC play with a 3-2 upset win over No. 1 Tennessee. All-SEC midfielder Ally Perry struck for two, including the game-winner, which came in the 89th minute. Prior to the match, the Lady Vols were the only team in Division I to remain unscored upon.
Perry shares the team lead in goals (3) with forward Zoe Main. Perry has also assisted on five others for a squad-leading 11 points. Main has added one assist for seven total points. Another player on seven points is freshman Adia Symonds. She’s banked two goals and three assists.
Leading the bulldogs in minutes played is outside back Hannah Jibril (567). She’s teamed up with starting keeper Sarah Wommack to issue three shutouts. Wommack features a 1.08 GAA with 18 saves.
Auburn has emerged victorious in 19 of the 28 previous meetings with the Bulldogs. When meeting in Starkville, the series is split 6-6-1. Both teams last played in the fall of 2023, when Mississippi State scored the go-ahead goal in the penultimate minute to seal a 1-0 win in Starkville.
PROMOTIONS
Thursday is Military Appreciation Night at the Auburn Soccer Complex. Current and former members of the U.S. Military will take part in a special recognition in-game. A pair of custom Auburn Nike Air Force 1s will also be raffled off to one lucky fan.
As always, all Auburn soccer home matches are free and open to the public.