The Mississippi State Bulldogs soccer team won its fifth straight game, making it the best start since 2012, in a 6-2 offensive onslaught against Colgate University on Sunday.
Although it was senior day Sunday afternoon for MSU, two freshmen, A.K Ward and Gracie East, stole the show scoring two goals each.
Ward is off to a good start as she started in all five games and scored three goals. She said her teammates make things easier for her and had high expectations coming into this season.
“With the high caliber teammates around me I expected to have early success, Ward said. “They are so good and able to get the ball up there so that I can score.”
East scored the first two goals of her college career in Sunday’s match. She is not a starter, however, she said she is always ready to contribute to the game.
“Tom (coach Tom Anagnost) gives me two or three things that I need to accomplish every game and if I do my job then I’m being the team player that I’m on the team to be,” East said. “There are a lot of players ahead of me that can do a better job, but they get tired and it’s my job to give them their rest and keep the tempo going.”
Anagnost had nothing but praise for the performances of his two freshmen.
“Gracie East was one of our best player’s today. She gave us some great energy off the bench and had two awesome goals,” Anagnost said. “A.K. was fantastic all game and I am really proud of both them.”
The first goal of the game was scored by Brooke McKee just 40 seconds into the game, making it the third quickest opening goal in the history of the program. Just under three minutes later, the Bulldogs would score their second goal that was deflected by a defender and called an own goal.
Next, Ward chipped in with back to back goals of her own to make it four unanswered points by MSU. Before you could blink, it was 4-0 with just under 17 minutes left in the first half. At that point, the game was essentially over.
Anagnost believes that scoring that first goal so quickly set the tone for the entire game. “That was awesome! It just makes such a big difference,” Anagnost said. “Our players have done really well in the last two games of executing and being opportunistic in those moments and I give them all the credit.”
The Bulldogs are off to a great start offensively this season. Last year the team scored 17 goals for the entire season. This season they have scored 13 goals in only five games.
Mississippi State was scheduled to play against the university of Houston on Friday, but the game was cancelled due to circumstances from Hurricane Harvey.
The game against Houston will not be rescheduled. The Bulldogs will be in action again Thursday as they travel to Tampa to take on the University of South Florida and will be back in Starkville for a home game Sunday afternoon vs. South Alabama.
