Elisabeth Sullivan and Annebel ten Broeke led the Mississippi State University soccer team in split matches over the weekend in the Bulldog Classic against Furman University and Jackson State University. 
Despite a record-tying crowd of 875 people to back up the Bulldogs, MSU fell to the Furman Paladins 4-0 on Friday night to open the tournament.
The Bulldogs found themselves injury-depleted in almost every position, and many regular starters had to play out of their usual spots. Players such as sophomore Shelby Jordan, a typical staple of the defense, played midfield throughout the game. 
Jordan said although the new position was a transition, she became more comfortable as the game progressed.
“It was different, but it was new, and I really like it,” she said.
Though many of the typical starters logged time in different positions, the team gave a solid effort. Both squads had multiple scoring chances in the first half, but neither could get a goal on the scoreboard. 
In the second half, the inexperience began to show as the Bulldogs let in four goals, and Furman pulled away for the victory. 
Both teams had nine shots on goal, with Sullivan taking six of those shots for the Dogs. Goalie C. J. Winship had five saves on the day.
MSU head coach Aaron Gordon said the crowd was a factor from the beginning of the match, but ultimately the inexperience caught up to the Bulldogs.
“First, I want to thank all of the fans that came out and supported us (Friday). It was a great crowd, and I thought our team really fed off the excitement of being back at home,” Gordon said. “Unfortunately, having four starters out of the lineup hurt us, and we lost our legs in the second half. We had some young players step in and give us some minutes, and hopefully that will help us as we get on into the season.”
MSU responded against Jackson State in a 4-2 win on Sunday as Sullivan recorded the first hat trick for MSU since 2001. 
Much like Friday night’s matchup, the Bulldogs took the field starting eight freshmen. Freshman Ten Broeke, who is eighth in the nation with six assists, assisted all three of Sullivan’s goals and added her third goal of the season for a five-point performance. Like Sullivan, ten Broeke’s three assist were the most since 2001. 
Sullivan said she was happy with the goal production, but gave credit to her teammate for generating the opportunities.
“Honestly, all of the work came from Annebel,” she said. “I was just there to hit it in. It is a really good feeling, though.” 
With the win, Gordon said the freshmen gained valuable experience prior to the start of the conference schedule.
“Hats off to the kids on our team that maybe have not gotten an opportunity and are now getting it and played well,” he said. “We needed people to step up, and our freshmen got some opportunities today and made the most of it.” 
MSU finished its non-conference slate with a 3-4 record before opening conference play against Missouri on Friday night at home.