This past Thursday, the Mississippi State soccer team wrapped up its season on a high note as the Dogs beat Ole Miss 3-2 in a thrilling double overtime victory. With the win, State’s final record  is 9-10-1 and 2-10-1 in SEC play.
Thursday’s game was a tough, hard-fought game as State had to overcome a lot to earn the victory. Early in the game, sophomore Shannen Jainudeen went down with an injury and did not return. Freshman Gracie Irby was also injured later in the game.
The girls also had to overcome the fact Ole Miss outshot them 22-8 and seemed to control possession of the ball for most of the night.
Despite all of the adversity, MSU got out to a 2-0 lead with less than 20 minutes to go, and the Dogs seemed like they had the game all but wrapped up. Then the Rebels came roaring back with two quick goals of their own to tie the game and force overtime.
Neither team was able to score, which forced a second overtime where Elisabeth Sullivan scored her second goal of the game and 23rd of her career to bring home the win and the Magnolia Cup for MSU.
Sullivan broke the record for career goals at State and was named the SEC player of the Week.
Sullivan’s performance was key, but goal keeper Skylar Rosson’s performance might have been even more crucial in the victory as she played what might have been the best game of her career with 10 saves, including a very difficult save in OT on a shot that would have won the game for Ole Miss.
Rosson said she was thrilled with the victory and how she and her teammates played.
“This was great. Beating Ole Miss is what you want to do every single season. We played for each other, and we never gave up, even when they scored the two goals,” Rosson said. “This was really special to me, I’ve really enjoyed being a Bulldog and playing for them for so long. This meant the world to me.”
Thursday night was also senior night and the last game the senior players will play because the team did not make the SEC tournament, so the players were emotional after the game.
Senior Captain Madison McKee said she was excited her team played so well and ended the season on a positive note.
“Beating Ole Miss is the only way to go out. I just wished we played like this all season,” McKee said. “I wish we were still playing, but it was a fun season, and we did our best.”
Head coach Neil MacDonald said he was proud of his team and the season the girls had.
“We’ve had a lot of adversity throughout the season, but the girls have never given up,” MacDonald said. “I’m delighted for them. Great team performance, and they deserve it.”
Though the season did not go as well as the team had hoped it would, beating Ole Miss certainly alleviates some of the disappointment and shines a little bit of a bright spot on the season.
Next year, Sullivan  and captain Morganne Grimes will be returning for their senior year, and a lot of young players played big minutes for the team this year. Also, goal keeper C.J. Winship was forced to start in some big games this year and played well.
All of this experience from this year will provide MSU with a solid base from which to build for next season.