Lauren Morgan and Skylar Rosson have formed their own stereotype for female athletes.
The two soccer seniors can be spotted on the field quite easily due to their poofed hair and glittery makeup. Fans see them doing their handshake right before every game and it seems as if the girls have been friends forever.
However, Mississippi State soccer brought these two together, and they have been inseparable ever since. Morgan came to Starkville from Keller, Texas, where she was named to the All-District team five times. An Edmond, Okla., native, Rosson earned numerous defensive player of the year and All-District awards.
When the girls landed in Starkville, they were not immediately best friends. Rosson said when she first met Morgan she actually thought she was really shy. That idea did not last long.
Midway through their freshman year, the two realized they were both very outgoing and began to stick together. Rosson said her time at MSU would have been so different without Morgan by her side.
“Lauren’s my other half. I’m not as outgoing without her, so we even each other out,” Rosson said. “I’ve been through a lot of stuff since I’ve been here, and Lauren’s someone I can always count on. I can always call her, and I don’t have to keep secrets from her. She’s helped me through a lot.”
One similar struggle the girls have been able to help each other through is the injuries they have faced in their careers at MSU.
Rosson suffered a knee injury in a preseason practice her freshman year that sidelined her the remainder of the season, and another knee injury ended her redshirt freshman year just three games into the season.
Morgan played in just one game her junior year before an injury caused her to miss the rest of the season. She is also currently working back from an injury.
Morgan said she and Rosson help each other stay positive through their injuries since they have both been through the same hardships that injuries bring.
“Growing up I only had an older brother, so she’s like a sister to me that I never had,” Morgan said. “I’d say we’re more like sisters than best friends because we help each other through everything, and we’ve been through a lot of the same stuff, so we give each other advice. Even if we don’t want to hear it, we’re going to tell each other the truth.”
When they are on the field, the seniors stand out by sporting their poofed hair and abundance of makeup. Rosson said she wore all the makeup in high school and brought the idea to State. She also started poofing her hair at State, so she poofs Morgan’s, as well.
The poofed hair has become so popular that it now has its own hashtag, #poofnation. Rosson and Morgan make up their pregame handshake themselves and have added to it every year.
Morgan said the glittery makeup and poofed hair allows the girls to stand out on the field.
“We wear the makeup and big hair because people don’t take us serious,” Morgan said. “When they see that we have glitter all over our face and our huge hair done, they’re like, ‘these girls don’t know how to play.’ Then we come out, and we’re really aggressive and knock them on the ground.”
Rosson and Morgan are not the only ones who identify with poof nation. The entire MSU soccer team feels a part of the trend. Junior forward Elisabeth Sullivan said the team loves the makeup and poofed hair.
“If they came out without the poofs and the makeup, the whole team would question why they didn’t because it’s so a part of the team,” Sullivan said. “We would think it’s bad luck if they weren’t dressed like that.”
During games, aggressive is the perfect word to describe Morgan’s play, as she has been the fearless leader of MSU’s midfielders year after year. Rosson has become one of the SEC’s best goalkeepers, recording an SEC-best 131 saves last season. Earlier this year she broke the MSU record for consecutive shutouts with six blanks in a row.
Rosson and Morgan look to continue to stand out on the field not only due to their appearance but also because of their performance as the duo that hopes to lead the Bulldogs to the SEC Tournament and, along with that, an increase in trending for #poofnation.