The upcoming season looks bright for the Bulldog soccer team and seventh year head coach Neil Macdonald. The girls endured a long, grueling summer filled with fitness and more fitness to prepare for the year.
In addition to a fitness focus for the Bulldogs this summer, the girls came up with a list of points which they will strive to accomplish every practice and game. Sophomore forward Elisabeth Sullivan, who led the team in goals and assists last year, said these two focuses have been essential for the team during pre-season and will remain significant throughout the season.
“Fitness is key to playing soccer because you have to go the full 90 minutes; if you can’t do fitness, than the other team will run all over you,” Sullivan said. “Also, we have those points that we all came up with as a team which include all in or all out, determination and having the right attitude.”
State started off its season strong with a 3-0 win in an exhibition game against the Samford Bulldogs. Mississippi State University was eager to face a very good Samford team and shutout the opposing Bulldogs for the entire 90 minutes. The game was scoreless until the 72nd minute when Sullivan edged in a goal off a cross by senior forward Tarah Henderson.
The Bulldogs quickly added two more goals, both by junior forward Jasmine Simmons.
After Sullivan threaded the needle between two Samford defenders, Simmons knocked in her first goal of the year, and less than two minutes later, she scored again on a pass from freshman midfielder Amy Hoover.
Macdonald said he was very pleased with the girls’ performance and liked everything he saw during the game.
“I felt like we did very well, and all the things we worked on in practice over the last week, we saw those things working out there for us,” Macdonald said. “I thought our front line was tremendous with 23 shots, and the back line was solid from the first whistle to the last.”
Junior captain Madison Mckee said the team’s chemistry is great this year, which helps a lot on the field.
“We started off strong, and we never let down,” Mckee said. “We played with heart, and we never let the field get quiet, which was our biggest thing.”
In their first game of the season, the girls fell to Arkansas State 3-1.
An early goal put ASU up 1-0 at half, but the Bulldogs tied the game in the second on Hoover’s first goal of the year. However, ASU added two late goals to give them the win.
Next on the schedule for the Bulldogs is a road trip to California where they will take on UC Riverside and No. 20 UC Irvine. These games and other tough non-conference games will prepare the girls for a difficult SEC schedule.
State is fortunate to host No. 7 Florida and No. 28 South Carolina, and Macdonald said the team’s fitness and chemistry will carry them through the road games.
“Going to California will be a real eye opener for us,” Macdonald said. “Getting stretched by good teams is important, and I think it is all about us getting stronger and learning from the mistakes that we make so that we are ready for the SEC.”
Another key for MSU will be the team’s play defensively. Junior goalie Skylar Rosson and the rest of the defense must continue to shutout opposing teams.
The Bulldogs blanked Samford in large part to the play of sophomore defender Morganne Grimes.
The Georgia native gained the respect of her teammates and was named team captain in just her second season for State. Grimes said she understands that the defense will be important for State throughout the year.
“One of the big things is that when we get the ball, we are taking our time and looking at the field and having a lot more composure in the back,” Grimes said. “At the same time, we’re pressing a lot harder and stepping to the ball and always trying to get the front foot and always attacking and being a lot more aggressive in the back than last year.”
Grimes, Rosson and the rest of the defense have a tough task ahead in California, but if the girls keep up their solid team chemistry and strong play on both ends of the field, they have a chance to make some noise in the SEC this season.