The Mississippi State University women’s soccer team will look to bounce back from the previous weekend, which saw them drop two games against SEC foes Kentucky and Tennessee.  The combined score of the two games was 7-0, and the second game also saw defender Kayleigh Henry receive a red card. This weekend doesn’t get much easier for the Bulldogs as they welcome LSU to Starkville on Friday night before taking on Georgia Sunday. 
Both matches will prove to be a challenge for MSU as each team will present its own distinctive aspects to trouble the young Bulldog squad. LSU currently boasts an overall record of 4-6-2 with an SEC record of 0-2-1, while Georgia comes in at 7-2-1 overall and a conference record of 2-1-1. 
LSU is coming off a wild game in which it drew Arkansas in double overtime 3-3.  The draw came as something of a relief for the Tigers, as they were riding a four-game losing streak. While the Tigers have a winning record at home, they tend to struggle on the road, winning only one time in five tries this season. 
As for Georgia, the Bulldogs are riding some momentum after winning three out of their last four games against some quality opponents. Their last game saw them win a close match against South Carolina, and Georgia has proven to be tough in road games. It is important to note Georgia will play Tennessee on Friday night before it travels to Starkville shortly thereafter, so it will be a very busy weekend for the other Bulldogs of the SEC. 
Much like MSU, LSU is a team built on youth. The Tigers have 15 players on their roster that are either sophomores or freshman, which should make this Friday’s contest a battle of the underclassmen. LSU has been touted by many as having a very talented group of young players, and the same is echoed by Bulldog Head Coach Aaron Gordon. 
“LSU is a team that’s coming into town that has a very highly-regarded recruiting class but is young,” he said. “We’re young, they are young and it’s a home game for us, so I hope to have a big crowd to go along with a good performance.”
Something else to note about LSU is that it have a second team All-SEC striker from last season, Summer Clark, and freshman Jorian Baucom whom the MSU back line will need to monitor closely. The duo has combined to score twelve goals this season, and the two look to be a combination that could be a future force to be dealt with in the upcoming years. The MSU defense, which will be without freshman outside back Henry for both of the weekend’s games due to suspension from her red card, will need to find someone to fill the void left by Henry.
Gordon named a couple of potential replacements Wednesday. 
“Most likely, we will move someone back in there to play Kayleigh’s role. Ashliegh Badley is a candidate as well as Mary Kathryn Taylor, who plays in that position, but hasn’t started. (She) usually comes off the bench,” he said. “We still have a couple of defenders who have a role to play for our team and we will look forward to them helping us out.”   
Turning the attention to the Georgia Bulldogs, their season has gone almost exactly to plan with the only hiccup coming against the Florida Gators last Friday night. UGA currently ranks No. 20 in the country and has been slowly rising all season long. 
Offensively, UGA is led by a couple of underclassmen.  First, sophomore Marion Crowder has been effective for Georgia this season in the nine games in which she has appeared. She has bagged six goals in total and has built upon what she accomplished last season, in which she scored 11 goals and was named to the All-SEC Freshman team. She was so good last season she was invited to a U.S. U20 training camp last November, so it goes without saying MSU will have her on their radar come Sunday. 
While Crowder terrorizes opposing defenses, Georgia’s best all-around player this season, Gabby Seller, plays within its midfield. She has already logged a hefty 830 minutes this season, which is 100 more than anyone else on her squad. Along with this, she has contributed five goals to the team’s overall mark of 22 and added eight assists as well to her team’s offensive success. The MSU midfield will need to have an eye on her at all times or she will do damage, if allowed. 
MSU junior and team captain Shelby Jordan looks at Sunday’s match up as a way to make up for last season’s tough road defeat to Georgia.  
“We went there last season, and they beat us on their home field, and I think it’s our turn to beat them on our home field this year, so hopefully that happens for us,” she said. 
Something to keep an eye on for the Bulldogs going into this weekend is the team’s offensive production. The last three games have seen the Bulldogs get shut out, but at the same time the Dogs made attempts on goal. In their last three contests, the Bulldogs have fired 18 shots towards goal however, of those shots only four have been on goal. MSU will need to be more precise on goal if it wishes to increase the offensive numbers going forward. 
Freshman Mallory Eubanks said the team is trying to build a successful demeanor so they will be more prepared to handle the ups and downs that come along with playing in the SEC. 
“We’re just working on having the mentality to win and just going at each other,” she said. “We’re physically competing so that we can compete in the SEC, not only against LSU, but Georgia on Sunday and other games as well.”
One last point to make is that senior Shannen Jainudeen, who suffered an injury to her knee against Ole Miss two weeks ago, has bounced back and looks good to go against LSU on Friday. Jainudeen was able to play a total of 63 minutes against Kentucky over the weekend and then 85 minutes against Tennessee in Knoxville, so the knee seems to be improving each game that is played. This is good news for the Bulldogs as Jainudeen leads the team in goals with five and currently stands as the team’s biggest offensive weapon. If this weekend is going to prove to a successful one for MSU, Jainudeen will need to be involved early and often.
The action begins Friday night at 7 p.m. at the Mississippi State Soccer Field as LSU and the Bulldogs seek to notch their first SEC win. On the quick turnaround for Sunday, Georgia comes to Starkville at 1 p.m. seeking to continue their strong start to the SEC schedule.