The Mississippi State University women’s soccer team came ready to play against the Florida International Panthers this past Sunday. The Bulldogs came out with high energy which they maintained throughout the game, resulting in a 2-0 win for the Bulldogs.
During the first 10 minutes of the game, the ball traveled quickly on both halves of the field, not letting up to remain on either team’s offense. The first shot was made by Florida International’s Noemi Paquin, but MSU came right back with three more shots taken by sophomore forward Alexis Gutierrez, junior midfielder Ilana Izquierdo and junior forward Aitana Martinez-Montoya.
This is only the third time in the past 20 years that FIU and MSU have played each other, with both past games resulting in a win for the Bulldogs.
Towards the end of the second half, the ball continued to bounce back and forth between both teams’ offenses. Mississippi State was able to secure more shots in the first half with freshman center-forward Zoe Main’s impressive play 33 minutes into the game.
Main attempted to take a shot, but the ball collided with the crossbar and came right back out, causing a quick tussle between players on both teams for the possession.
At half, the game remained tied 0-0. Both teams put up a fight, and neither were letting up.
To start the second half, the Bulldogs maintained steady control, keeping the ball mostly in their offense for the first five minutes. The Bulldogs’ hard work paid off at the 61-minute mark when junior Ilana Izquierdo scored the first goal with the help of sophomore Maggie Wadsworth, putting the Bulldogs in the lead. This was the first goal of the season that FIU had given up. Once the goal was made, the Panthers slowly backed down.
With eight minutes left in the game, Izquierdo scored with the assist of Wadsworth and junior defender Ruthny Mathurin, furthering the Bulldog lead 2-0.
Later, Izquierdo commented on how she felt about her goals that aided in the Bulldogs’ win.
“I’m really happy right now, not for me but the team,” Izquierdo said.
The Bulldogs have proven they have great team chemistry through how well the offense and defense read each other on the field. 
Last year, Mississippi State made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament for the first time ever. It is evident that the team has carried over the same focus on teamwork from last season to this season.
Overall, the game against FIU was not an easy win for the Bulldogs. It became dicey on the field at times, resulting in 16 fouls on the Bulldogs, 16 fouls on the Panthers and two yellow cards on FIU’s players. Fortunately for the Bulldogs, they get to add their third win of the season to their record. 
The Bulldogs will be back in action Thursday at 6:30 p.m. when they host the University of Iowa.