Mississippi State University women’s soccer continued their best start since 2012 Sunday afternoon with a 3-0 victory over the University of Central Arkansas.
The Bulldogs are 4-0 this season under first-year head coach Tom Anagnost. MSU has beaten opponents by a combined score of 7-1, a stark improvement after going 6-12 last season.
MaKayla Waldner, a sophomore from Dexter, Missouri, noted the team has to keep worrying about what is in front of them instead of celebrating their hot start.
“We have to take every single day like we are not 4-0,” Waldner said. “We just have to keep preparing for our next competition and keep improving on the little things. It will pay off.”
The Bulldogs came out on fire in Sunday’s game, scoring two goals in the first five minutes of play. On the first goal, Gabriella Coleman lined up a corner kick and crossed the ball over the pitch, and Waldner headed the ball in for the first score.
“The ball just came straight to me, and I remembered in practice Tom (Anagnost) is always like, ‘Head the ball down. Head the ball down,’” Waldner said. “That is what happened, the ball just came right to me, and I headed it down.”
Senior forward Mallory Eubanks did not play in Sunday’s game, but went through warm-ups in a knee brace and tennis shoes. After the game, Anagnost said she took a ball to her knee in practice and it buckled. He is optimistic she will return for MSU’s game against the University of Houston on Friday.
Eubanks is a senior leader who many argue is the best player on the team. Waldner talked about the pressure it put on the rest of the team after they found out she was out.
“With Mallory not only being a vocal leader, she is definitely one of the girls to go out there and demonstrate how we are supposed to play. With her out being out right now, it did put a damper on things,” Waldner said. “But I think it made everyone else step up and be a bigger part of the game than they usually are.”
Her loss meant usual defender Courtney Robicheaux moved to forward. She shined un her new role, scoring the second goal of the game.
“It was just a fantastic goal, and she is just a heck of a player and athlete,” Anagnost said. “She is really versatile—we can put her in a lot of different spots, and we are really glad she is on our team.”
In goal, Catalina Perez recorded another shutout, her third of the season. She has only given up one goal in the past four games. Perez, of Boca Raton, Florida, was the only player on MSU’s team to play the entire game. She had one of her best performances, as she had a season-high of four saves.
She was quick to say defense is a team effort.
“The defense and the team is playing really well. They make my job easier,” Perez said. “It is really fun to play with these girls and for these coaches.”
The trust runs both ways. Throughout the start of the season her fellow players have raved about Perez’s ability to keep the ball out of the back of the net. Waldner said it keeps her calm, knowing Perez is back there.
“It is a big confidence booster,” Waldner said. “Anytime anything happens and someone is going one-on-one with our keeper, I have complete faith in (Perez), and I think the rest of our team does too.”
The Bulldogs hope to be back in action this Friday against Houston, although the game may be postponed due to Hurricane Harvey and Houston’s ability to travel in time to play the game. 
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