AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn Tigers moved past the FIU Panthers 4-1 in the first round of the Division I NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament Friday night to advance into the round of 32.
Auburn wasted no time stamping their mark on the match, as they found the back of the net just 3:56 into the game. It was a set piece off the foot of Anna Haddock that bounced around the 6-yard box before LJ Knox was able to get a redirecting touch that just crossed the line.
It took a VAR review as FIU thought they had a goal-line clearance, but the goal was given and the Tigers were off to the races.
The proceedings were very physical for the next 20 minutes, with both teams having scarce chances. In the 21st minute, a corner taken by Haddock found the head of center back Jessica Osborne, who flicked it past the FIU keeper to double the Tigers’ advantage.
Unlikely goal scorers, it was the two Tiger center backs that propelled Auburn out to the lead that they never gave up. It was Knox’s second game on the scoresheet this season, while Osborne opened her 2024 account, scoring her first of the campaign.
The second half started out slowly, but ended frenetically, as three goals were scored in the final 13 minutes of action. Dylan Driver played a beautiful ball through to Jordyn Crosby on the right wing who cut it back and slotted it home past the dive of Gomez to see Auburn go up three.
When Auburn was just looking to waste away the remaining minutes, Katherine Rapp found a bit of open space just above the 18-yard box, and ripped a shot into the top-right corner of the net. The goal gave the Panthers some life, but their flame was quickly extinguished.
Off another corner taken by Auburn, a poor FIU clearance fell to the feet of Hayden Colson, who put the game beyond all doubt by scoring the Tigers’ fourth. Coach Karen Hoppa’s team saw out the remaining six minutes and punched their ticket into the second round of the tournament.
“Really, really proud of how we played,” said Hoppa. “We’ve put a lot of work in since the early exit from the conference tournament and I think that showed in the game tonight. The girls were really clicking, we were finding feet and creating loads of opportunities, which is what we were doing earlier in the season when we were really good.”
Auburn’s victory was their first in tournament play since the 2017 season. Before earning a sixth seed this season, the Tigers’ previous time qualifying for the tournament came in 2021, where they fell to Samford 2-nil at home. The win on Friday will surely take some of that sour taste out their mouths as they hope to make a deep run in the postseason.
Their next fixture is a rematch from the regular season as they are set to face the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Tigers took down the Buckeyes 1-0 at the Auburn Soccer Complex early in the season and will be looking for a similar result.
The second-round matchup will take place in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, as Auburn will travel to the next round’s host, Wake Forest. Dates and times for Auburn’s second game in the tournament are still to be determined, but will fall on either Nov. 20 or Nov. 22.
