Auburn is participating in the Iron Bowl of Soccer for the first time since 2002

AUBURN, ALA. (EETV) – No. 14 Auburn (11-1-2) earned its second-ever tie in SEC play as the Alabama Crimson Tide (7-3-5) traveled to the Plains for the Iron Bowl of Soccer. The rivals shared the points for the first time since 2002, drawing a 1-1 draw at the Auburn Soccer Complex.

Both teams were kept in check by physical defense in the first half. The defense blocked the opposing offense and thwarted every chance to score. Auburn fired off some shots, but most of them fell short. Becky Contreras finally had a shot on net, but it was blocked by Crimson Tide goalkeeper Ellie Lanyi in the 43rd minute. Coach Karen Hoppa noted that she felt her team appeared stiff in the first half, which did not allow them to play the free style of football that has been so successful for them this season. The Tigers and Tide went into halftime tied on points.

The second half started much more exciting than the first half of the game. Alabama attacked early and scored first in the 52nd minute. Kate Henderson pushed the ball past Auburn goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska in the bottom right corner to give the Tide a 1-0 lead. After that, the Tigers woke up and went on the attack to get the equalizer – and finally it came.

Before Thursday, Auburn was the only team in the SEC that had not taken a penalty, and the Tigers had not taken a penalty in a game against Southern Miss since August 2022. That changed when Maison Smith committed a foul giving Auburn its first chance all season from the point. Carly Thatcher stepped in calmly for the Tigers and fired the ball past a diving Lanyi down the left to level the game at 1-0 for both sides. Auburn continued to attack, but Lanyi and the Alabama defense held just enough to keep the score at 1-1 until the final whistle.

Auburn outscored the Tide 15-8 and had more shots on goal, leading 5-2 in that category. Carly Thatcher scored her third goal of the season, her second in the last two games. Thatcher also tied for the team lead with Olivia Woodson in scoring on four shots in the game. Goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska made a big stop in the 64th minute to keep the game even with her only save of the night. The Tigers are 11-1-2 this season and 3-1-2 in SEC play.

Auburn women’s soccer travels to Knoxville to take on the Lady Volunteers of Tennessee on Sunday, October 13th. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU.