The Mississippi State University Women’s soccer team will face its toughest test of the season Friday when it welcomes its rivals from the northern part of the state, The Rebels of Ole Miss, to its own backyard.
The Bulldogs will hope to keep the momentum going after they were able to scratch their way to a 2-1 victory Sunday against the Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech. MSU currently finds itself with an overall record of 3-4 and has certainly made great strides since it lost its first game of the season to Iowa State 5-1.
However, the squad has yet to play any team that has the quality of players and experience the Ole Miss Rebels will place on the field Friday night.
Taking a general glance at the Ole Miss squad, it is quite obvious it  will be the more seasoned team come game day. The Rebels currently have five freshmen on their entire roster, which is a very small number when compared to Mississippi State’s staggering 20 freshmen that fill up the Bulldog roster. Along with this, of those 20 freshmen for Mississippi State, it is fair to  that at least three-fourths of those players are very heavy contributors to the Bulldogs, and some even play the entire game most nights.
With all of this being said, it is easy to see why MSU Head Coach Aaron Gordon said his team will be playing the role of the underdog Friday.
“They’re good. I mean they have three forwards who have scored a cumulative total of about twenty goals already,” Gordon said. “They are not playing young players, they’re just playing players who got, at the minimum, a year under their belt, and that’s OK. They should be the favorites.”
Two of the three forwards  Gordon refers to are Olivia Harrison and Addie Forbus, who have been lights out for the Rebels early in the season. Harrison has already netted six goals in just eight games, so she will be without a doubt one of the main obstacles the Bulldogs will face in Friday’s matchup. If the Bulldogs are able to stop her, they will still have to attempt to slow down the rest of the offense, which is coming off of a very good performance against Middle Tennessee State that saw them completely dominate their opponent to a final score of 4-0. Needless to say, Ole Miss is currently firing on all cylinders with six goals scored in two games with no goals allowed as well.
While most will focus on the goal-scoring ability of the Rebels, they aren’t too shabby on defense either. In eight games this season, the Rebels have recorded four shut outs and only once have they allowed more than one goal. The Rebel defense is anchored by senior goalkeeper Kelly McCormick along with a back-line that is made up of two juniors at the center back spots, a sophomore at right back and a freshman at left back. Between the four players on the Ole Miss back line, they combine to boost a total of 106 starts over the past three seasons, so it is certainly a unit that has seen its fair share of action.
 If the Bulldogs are going to be able to compete with the Rebels, MSU will have to have a complete team effort from all eleven players on the pitch. Defending as a unit will be a key also if the Bulldogs are going to be able to shut down the Rebels potent offense.
Key freshman contributor, Mallory Eubanks,  that everyone on the Bulldog squad will need to come ready to play if they want to make a statement.
“I think it should be a good game, and we want it really bad,” she said. “I hope everybody just comes out ready to win because that’s what we want to do at the end of the day.”
Some key players for the Bulldogs to keep an eye on are the aforementioned midfielder Eubanks, forward Shannen Jainudeen and forward Morgan Ferrera. All three of these players could play big roles for the Bulldogs in terms of the counter attack where most of the Bulldogs’ opportunities may stem from due to the large amount of pressure that Ole Miss will place on the Mississippi State back-line.
In particular, Eubanks has been a bright light for MSU this season. The freshman has established herself as an every-game starter and has shown the ability to create goal-scoring opportunities for her teammates. She currently has four assists on the season to compliment a goal, and she also has played almost 100 minutes more than anyone else on the team. If the Bulldogs plan on making Friday’s contest one to remember, Eubanks will indeed need to influence the game early and often.
From a defensive standpoint, MSU will need to play its best game of the season. It stands a mystery who Gordon will give the starting nod in goal. The last match against Louisiana Tech saw the MSU goal occupied by Tanya de Souza in the first half while Rhylee DeCrane took over to start the second half. It might be that the same thing occurs Friday, but either way, it appears a freshman will start in goal for the Bulldogs. One player on the Bulldog back-line that will need to have a solid performance is freshman stand-out Kayleigh Henry, who has been the most consistent starter for the young defensive unit. She fills the right back position, and she will need to play a very physical and intelligent match as she faces some of the most individually talented attackers in the entire SEC.
Freshman attacker Morgan Ferrera hopes to see a good turn out from the fans, similar to some of the earlier matches in the season. She said she anticipates an entertaining match and hopes for the best for her squad.
“It’s going to be a great game, hopefully we can get a big crowd out here, like we did for the Iowa State game,” she said. “We want to get our first SEC win, and that would help us do that.”
Ultimately, the match will come down to how well Mississippi State is able to cope with and stiffen the Ole Miss high-flying offense and whether or not the Bulldogs can produce offense from the counter attack. If the Bulldogs are able to execute well in these areas on the game, they should be able to hang with the Rebels.
However, if Ole Miss can crank up the pressure on the MSU back-line for an entire 90 minutes, then that will prove to be a major problem for the Bulldogs and one that will wear down the home side.
Friday night’s match is slated for a 6 p.m. kickoff at the Mississippi State Soccer field. Attendance is free, and the conditions for the game look to be perfect for viewing the SEC home opener.