Friday night, Mississippi State University goalkeeper Rhylee DeCrane, a redshirt senior from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, recorded her seventh shutout of the year, tying the MSU single season record for shutouts.
DeCrane and both teams’ defenses were the highlights of the night when MSU (8-2-1) took on the University of Florida (4-6-2). Despite a total of 35 scoring chances created by the two offenses, neither team was able to put the ball into the net, as the game ended in a 0-0 draw.
After the game, Courtney Robicheaux, a senior defender from Mandeville, Louisiana, emphasized the importance of the defense’s relationship, as it is something they focus on all the time.
“All five of us have a good relationship,” Robicheaux said. “It’s just something that we really work on, on and off the field.”
DeCrane has been instrumental to the Bulldogs’ success this season, and has only allowed six goals in 11 matchups. It has been a long time coming for the fifth-year senior, who started 12 times for the team her freshman year, but has seen limited action since then.
In 2015, her sophomore year, DeCrane logged 32 minutes in just two appearances for the squad. After no playing time her junior year and senior year, she was redshirted, allowing her to return for one more season, when she quickly became the breakout star of the Bulldogs’ 2018 team.
DeCrane is responsible for 30 saves this season, helping MSU achieve an 8-2-1 record. She is currently third among SEC goalkeepers in shutouts (7), and fifth in average goals against (0.54) and save percentage (.833). Even after all of this season’s success, DeCrane refuses to take full credit, and always gives some of the credit to the defenders on the back line who play in front of her.
“It’s all of us, Hailey (Zerbel), Kristen (Malebranche), Miranda (Carrasco), and Robi (Robicheaux). Those four have definitely been the reason we’ve got those shutouts,” DeCrane said.
Those four players have undoubtably been important to the Bulldogs’ success, as the back line has become more involved in the attack this season, an obvious sign of confidence in their keeper.
When asked about DeCrane’s impact, head coach Tom Anagnost was quick to the point.
“I’m glad she’s on our team. She’s meant a lot,” Anagnost said.
During both of her inactive seasons, DeCrane worked hard on and off the field, and was named to the SEC Community Service Team. She says the work she put in during those years has helped her be a successful starter.
“It was hard work… it’s just something my family instilled in me,” DeCrane said.
DeCrane will look to break the single season shutout record when the Bulldogs return to action on Oct. 4 at Vanderbilt University (10-1).
