The Mississippi State women’s soccer team opens their season on Friday, playing host to the Nicholls State Colonels in an exhibition match. The Bulldogs, who posted a record of 2-16-0 overall last year, will be looking to the new faces and added experience in this year’s squad to improve their outlook for the new season.Head coach Neil MacDonald has added five fresh faces to the lineup, while retaining most of last year’s squad after seeing the departure of just two seniors.
The five freshmen can cover all field positions between them, fleshing out the squad and giving MacDonald more tactical options.
“They are a mix of players who are creative and will create chances to score, and defensive players who will add stability at the back,” MacDonald said. “All five are here to improve the team and are going to get us out of debt. They are all potential starters.”
The new players include Danielle Kite, a midfielder/forward from Hornchurch, England, and one out-of-state player, Hadley Gable, a forward from Plano, Texas.
Also joining the MSU soccer program are midfielder/defender Lauren Host from Madison, Miss., defender/midfielder Leanna Baldner from Meridian, Miss., and defender Mary Claire Scurria from Vicksburg, Miss.
MacDonald said that Friday’s game will be a chance for some of the new recruits to prove themselves, as well as an opportunity for all players to cement themselves in the starting eleven.
The match will also be played with an eye toward the Samford and Middle Tennessee State tournaments to be played over the next two weekends.
“We’ll use it to try different players in different positions and also try to give the freshmen some opportunity to play,” MacDonald said. “We have two tough tournaments coming up that should have some good games for us, and we want to be prepared for them.”
Overall, MacDonald’s hopes for the season are to instill an added competitiveness in the squad.
“We have been in a rebuilding process for the last few years, and now we want to show some improvement,” MacDonald said. “We should be able to compete in every game this year. That is our goal.”
The match against Nicholls State will kick
off Friday evening at 7 p.m., on the MSU soccer field.
The Samford and MTSU tournaments will take place the following two weekends in Birmingham and Murfreesboro, where the Bulldogs compete against Kennesaw State, Georgia Southern, Western Kentucky and host Middle Tennessee State.