Mississippi State lost a tough 2-1 decision Friday night in their SEC opener against the Georgia Bulldogs, but they more than made up for it with an upset of No. 8 Tennessee on Sunday.
Sunday
Treena Ferguson scored twice, helping the Bulldogs brush past the Volunteers 3-2.
The Bulldogs’ overall record stands at 2-7 and 1-1 in conference play.
Both teams fought hard in the first half.
The game looked as if it was going into a no-score affair going into halftime.
But UT defender Sarah Jackyra nailed a shot past goalkeeper Stephanie Dallas with five seconds left in the half.
It did not seem to harm the Bulldogs coming into the second half.
MSU tied the game 1-1 when Mariclaire Fancher sent a cross pass in front of the net to Ferguson, who knocked it past UT goalkeeper Jaimel Johnson.
MSU took a short lead on a pass from Katie Lynn Harden to Jessica Davis, who scored her first goal of the season.
However, the Vols put State’s celebration to rest, scoring less than two minutes later on a goal by Kylee Rossi.
The Bulldogs scored 10 minutes later on a goal by Ferguson to take the lead and the win.
“I’m really proud of the girls,” MSU head coach Neil MacDonald said. “We told them at halftime that they just have to believe in themselves, and when they relax, they can play good, quality soccer.
“It’s been a long haul of games where we’ve been really tight, and the games could have gone either way. Today, we made it happen.”
Friday
In the first half, MSU defender Bethany Frazier connected from 40 yards out on a pass from Hannah Tyler, scoring her first goal of the season and giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.
However, Georgia bit back when Leslie McConnell matched Frazier’s goal from 40 yards out, tying the game 1-1 at the 33:75 mark.
MSU regained the lead early in the second half on a penalty kick by Treena Ferguson, giving MSU a 2-1 lead.
Both teams battled one another throughout the half, but Georgia picked up momentum and tied the game on a corner kick by McConnell.
With five minutes remaining in the game, UGA’s Olivia West hit the game-winning goal.
“I’m really proud of the way we played from start to finish,” MacDonald said. “We took the game to them as much as we could. They’re a Top 25 program, and it showed in the end.”
The Bulldogs return to action at home on Friday night against LSU at 7.