On The Plains with Mallory Mooney: "I want to leave a legacy of being more than just an athlete"

Auburn, Ala — “I want to leave a legacy of being more than just an athlete.” 

For Auburn soccer senior Mallory Mooney, this statement certainly rings true. After overcoming a pandemic-altered freshman year and a major ACL injury, the forward-turned-defender is returning to The Plains for her fifth year and wants to leave her program better than she found it.  

While the adjustment to playing at the collegiate level is already a challenge, it becomes even more difficult when you’re nearly 1,500 miles from home.  

“As a freshman, I knew nothing about Auburn except that it was pretty and felt like home,” Mooney said. “My coaches and parents made the transition really easy, especially during COVID.”  

There were plenty of reasons to self-doubt or sink into the fear of failure, but as soon as Mooney stepped on the field, she made an immediate impact.  

The rookie earned the starting nod in her first career match against Mississippi State and went 94 minutes while also supplying an assist on the match-tying goal from teammate Sydney Richards.  

“It was just such a surreal moment coming in and playing immediately. I worked really hard during the preseason to make sure I was ready.”  

Lots of memories come to mind for a veteran with 66 matches and over 4,700 minutes of experience under their belt, but Mooney’s favorite comes from her freshman season, when she scored her first career goal for the Orange & Blue. 

It was a huge moment not just for Mooney but for her entire team as well as the goal came the early seconds of double overtime in an SEC Tournament duel versus Georgia. 

Her golden goal sent the Tigers to the SEC Tournament quarterfinals for the first time in four seasons.   

Later that year, Mooney also recorded the 13th hat trick in Auburn history against Virginia Tech. This was Auburn’s first hat trick since 2016 and first from a freshman since 2011.  

“It was just a fun game and a fun moment,” Mooney said. “My parents were there, and I could hear my dad yelling at me from the stands.”  

While having enjoyed a stellar freshman and sophomore season, Mooney’s junior year looked a lot different. Unfortunately, in the offseason between her sophomore and junior seasons, she tore her ACL. While many players be overwhelmed with a negative outlook, Mooney was not. 

“That was my first time going through something that tough,” she said. “I found the time to be better. I learned how strong I was not just physically but mentally.” 

She was also able to feel comfort in the testimonies of her teammates who had been through similar injuries.  

“I found motivation in knowing that girls on our team had the same injury and came back harder. I went through four-hour rehab sessions and knew that I could come back stronger than I was before.”

Mooney did just that. She was one of four Tiger field players to start in all 20 matches of the 2023 season. She competed for a whopping 1,705 minutes, a new career high.   

Mooney is now primed and ready for the 2024 season, where she has high expectations, not just for herself, but for the team as well. 

“I want us to get an SEC ring and make it deep into the NCAA Tournament,” she said. “I know we are capable of that with how much experience we have on this team. I also want my senior season to be my best yet. I want to help the team as much as possible with goals and assists, while still being a solid defender that shuts other teams down.” 

Mooney may only have one go-around left in her collegiate career, but she does not want her time in athletics to be done. She aspires to work in marketing for a sports team.  

In the classroom, she’s already hit the ground running toward her post-playing goals and is pursuing a double major in marketing and business management. In her time at Auburn, she has earned SEC Academic Honor Roll all four years, Athletic Director’s Honor Roll from 2021-2023, and is in the Chi Sigma Alpha Honor Society. 

On top of academics and athletics, Mooney adores Auburn for what it truly is — a family filled with tradition.  

“The phrase ‘War Eagle’ shows how close everyone is,” she said. “You can be anywhere in the world and the Auburn family knows exactly what you are talking about and what it stands for.” 

There’s no doubt that when the final whistle is blown and the stadium lights go black one last time, everyone will know that Mallory Mooney believed in Auburn and loved it.