AUBURN, Ala. - Auburn Soccer and Coach James Armstrong showed impressive prowess in pursuing top-tier talent to bolster an Auburn roster that made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament and saw their national ranking shoot as high as the top five. The Tigers return a lot of minutes from last year's squad, but also lost key pieces such as Anna Haddock and Maddie Prohaska.
Coach Armstrong brought in a mix of experienced collegiate athletes and overseas talent to fill the holes left by over ten departing seniors and to maintain the depth that was the difference in so many games last season.
While Auburn returned nearly 50 percent of their goals from last season, the attack could not go without bolstering, and Coach Armstrong added some standout players in the attack.
Auburn added three forwards to the roster, including some impressive names. Margey Brown comes to the Plains after playing three years at Duquesne, where she made over 50 appearances in her three years, leading the Dukes in scoring last year with nine goals to her name.
Additionally, Auburn added star sophomore Layla Sirdah from Indiana where, in her first season, she tallied seven goals and seven assists. She is a player who, despite her young age, is sure to make an instant impact in helping to bolster the depth the Tigers have in the attack as she comes in with three years of eligibility remaining.
Finally, to round out his focus on adding goals to the roster coach Armstrong brought in Asha Means who could be the biggest get of Coach Armstrong’s young career on the Plains as the forward who captained the 2024 national champion North Carolina Tar Heels comes into Auburn sure to make an instant impact and is a good candidate to replace the leadership and production of Anna Haddock.
Auburn also added four midfielders to replace players such as Anna Haddock, Sammie Brown, Carly Thatcher, and Sydnie Thibodaux, who were all impactful in the midfield last season amongst others.
Grace Ivey comes in after spending the first two seasons of her college career at Texas A&M, where in 2024 she totalled four goals in 19 appearances.
The Tigers also added experience with Erin Fleury, the New Hampshire native who captained Syracuse in 2023 and 2024, moved to Florida State for the spring, but has decided to play her final collegiate season on the Plains. A proven scoring threat, she is sure to be an anchor for the Tigers.
Manuela Baptista Filipe also comes to the Plains looking to be a driver of success for the Tigers, the Portuguese midfielder arrives on the Plains from Division two Wingate University where she scored eight goals and assisted four times for 20 points last year.
Coach Armstrong also went abroad and brought in midfielder Clara Casajuana Vert from FC Barcelona academy in Spain where she has won four straight league titles since 2021 even serving as captain including an undefeated 2022-2023 season for the Spanish side.
Auburn’s stout defense that returns much of its talent also got some bolstering, Coach Armstrong brought in Taylor Chism, who has 50 matches of NCAA experience from NC State, adding depth to a formidable back line. Armstrong also added freshman Lily Deveroux to the backline as well as she will start her career on the Plains.
Avery Gilliahan is the lone goalie that will join the roster, but is perhaps one of, if not the most important piece in the class as she comes in from Iowa State where she was a two year starter and was top 10 in power four with 96 saves last season. She is a good candidate to fill the big shoes of Maddie Prohaska.
Overall, Auburn is undergoing a lot of change, losing senior captains and a head coach in Karen Hoppa who was the cornerstone of Auburn Soccer for 20+ seasons, to expect a leap from the already impressive campaign in 2024 is, for most programs, a bridge too far, but for James Armstrong and company, it is the expectation, as he told Rett Krome and I in our pre season interview the goal is NCAA championships, and if anyone can do it, it is them.
Coming hot off winning the SEC, Coach Armstrong returns to the Plains where he began his career as an assistant to Coach Hoppa, now as a head coach, with nothing but green grass and a promising season in front of him as he has built a juggernaut of a roster to build off of the special foundation we have seen being laid over the last couple of years.
To outperform a season where Auburn was a top-five team and made the second round of the NCAA tournament will take toughness and a hard-nosed style.
Auburn Soccer will have their schedule released in the coming weeks with kickoff set for mid August. While the Tigers look to make a splash, all season long WEGL 91.1 will have coverage, beginning with a pre-season rundown with Coach Armstrong posted to WEGL 91.1 on Youtube and continuing with not only radio broadcasts of all home games but previews and recaps of every match following Auburn’s road to a national title.
