The Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs (4-11-4) sealed a win and put a close to the 2005 season as they up-ended the Lady Delta Devilettes of Mississippi Valley State 1-0.
“I am very happy with the way we went out,” Mississippi State head coach Neil MacDonald said.
Senior goalkeeper Emily Meyers posted her third shutout of the season on her way to setting a school record save total of 135 with four stops against the Devilettes.
Meyers closes out her two-year stint at goalkeeper with 222 career saves, which ranks second on the Bulldogs’ all-time list.
The Lady Bulldogs (4-11-4) could not find a wrinkle in the ironclad MVSU defense in the first half, as all shots taken could not seem to hit the back of the net but rather the hands of goalkeeper Maria Del Guercio.
After a plethora of contested shots and corner kicks, the game ultimately headed into the break as a scoreless deadlock. The Bulldogs posted a 9-2 edge in the shot column of the second half but came away without the sensation of scoring on several opportunities.
“We had a tough time getting shots to go where we wanted them to in the first half and were a bit unlucky on a couple of occasions, but we pulled it out and sent our seniors out with a win,” MacDonald said.
MSU finally got on the scoreboard in the 79th minute of play as a pass from freshman defender Mary Kate Ayers bounced off the leg of an opposing defender to the right foot of senior midfielder Betty Ann Casey.
Casey then made a pair of moves to find space in the MVSU defense and rocketed a shot to the far post past Guercio for the lone MSU goal.
Casey matched a career-best with her sixth goal of the season and took over sole possession of third on Mississippi State’s scoring chart.
Ayers posted the first collegiate point of her career by assisting Casey’s late goal. The win helped MSU finish with a 4-3-2 home record, marking its third consecutive season that it finished with a winning record in Starkville.