Allison Whitworth took it all in when she and her teammates put the wraps on a 4-0 shutout over Alabama in the Tigers’ final game of the regular season.

The game was emotional for Whitworth, a fifth-year senior. She figured it’d be the last time she would be in goalie gear at the Auburn Soccer Complex.

Sometimes, as Whitworth learned Monday, it’s fun to be wrong.

Not only did Auburn, a bubble team after its first-round loss to Tennessee in the SEC tournament, make it into the 64-team NCAA women’s soccer tournament, but it also received what Whitworth called a “complete surprise.” The Tigers are serving as host for this weekend’s tournament games, which kicks off today with Auburn hosting Belmont.

No. 2 Florida State will take on Mississippi Valley State at 2 p.m., with the winner facing the Auburn-Belmont winner Sunday.

“To be able to play at home again is exciting because there’s not the pressure that it’s the last game I’ll ever play here,” Whitworth said. “There is, but I’ve already dealt with that and that kind of emotion.”

Whitworth hasn’t had to deal with the number of undergraduate classes and study halls the rest of her teammates have to attend to remain eligible. Just like the emotional reaction she had on Senior Night, she got that over with and moved on to bigger things.

Whitworth graduated in three-and-a-half years. Summa Cum Laude. She’s in graduate school now, carrying a 4.0 grade point average. She’ll have a Master’s degree before her eligibility runs out in the spring.

Needless to say, she’s the definition of a role model to her 25 teammates.

“That really sets a great standard for our players,” coach Karen Hoppa said.

Whitworth’s GAA (goals-against average) and GPA have nothing in common.

She allowed an average of 1.07 goals per game — good for fourth in the SEC — posted seven shutouts and recorded an Auburn all-time record 119 saves. Her efforts on the field got her a place on the All-SEC first team, while her work in the classroom made her the SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year.

“She’s got such a great ability to learn,” Hoppa said. “That’s one of the things that has made her special.”

Whitworth needed that ability right from the start of her career at Auburn.

She played just two seasons at keeper in high school and wasn’t even doing it on a full-time basis. Half of her games at Briarwood Christian in Birmingham were spent on defense, but at the center back position.

“If you could have seen her from then to now,” Hoppa said, “you would be able to tell how far she has come.”

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