In Aaron Gordon’s first year as head coach of Mississippi State University’s soccer team, the Bulldogs suffered a tough season as they finished 3-15 and fell short of qualifying for the SEC Tournament. Along with this, the Dogs did not win any road games last season. 
Key contributors such as Elizabeth Sullivan, Morganne Grimes and C.J. Winship graduated last year while Annebel ten Broeke left the team after enjoying a stellar freshman campaign. Particularly, Sullivan will be missed as she set multiple school records while scoring 16 goals last season, which was 13 more than anyone else on the team. 
Looking forward to 2014, the MSU soccer team has a very different look about them. This would be because of the addition  of 19 new incoming freshman to the squad, as well as five other sophomores on the team. Needless to say, the Bulldogs are very young, but some players on the team do not see this as a   bad thing.
Defender Shelby Jordan, who was recently elected captain, said she expects the newcomers to transition well under Gordon.
“I think they’re going to adapt really well because Coach Aaron brought in a lot of new girls that are really good, and he knows how to coach,” she said. “I think they will do very well once they have been under him for a while.”  
Entering her junior year, Jordan acknowledged her role will change. Jordan said she and the upperclassmen have developed into being team leaders. 
“Shannen (Jainudeen), Mary Taylor and I all have begun taking a leadership role on the team, because obviously we are older,” she said. “We have been here and have experience, but it still seems so strange sometimes.” 
How do the freshmen themselves feel about all of this? Kayleigh Henry, one of the new freshmen from Hattiesburg, Miss., said the large group of freshmen are adapting nicely. 
“I think we, as a group, have done very well. Coach Aaron has helped a lot, as well as the upperclassmen because they’re always here to tell us what to do before we even come in,” she said. “They told us what not to do and what to do right before the preseason even began. It’s been awesome and a lot easier than I thought it would be, just because we had their guidance and leadership.” 
As for replacing Sullivan, Gordon said his players have a big role to fill to make up for Sullivan’s past production on the field. 
“You don’t really replace her. A player like that, you just try and find someone else who’s willing to step up,” he said. “Truth be told, to criticize our own team from last year, maybe we were a little too reliant on Elizabeth, because if she didn’t score, I didn’t know where the goals were going to come from.” 
Gordon added a potential candidate, who could help give some fire power to the attacking side of              the field. 
“We have an emerging player in Shannen Jainudeen, who is entering her senior year with a new position, and she really has embraced playing as a forward,” he said. “It seems like she can score some goals and I hope we have a few other players that can pick up the slack because we’re going to need it.”
Freshman Morgan Ferrara looked solid in attack during the pair of preseason games against Memphis and Alabama, and looks to be another potential candidate to help as well. 
In an effort to rebound from a year ago, players said they view success as getting enough wins to qualify for the SEC Tournament by season’s end. Both Jordan and Henry expressed this same opinion, with the eldest, Jordan, stating that it would be a “Great goal for us to get to the tournament, after how last season went.”
However, Gordon views what a successful season would be in a different manner through daily effort on the field. 
“A successful season would be playing hard for twenty games. I can’t control wins and losses. If we could just have consistency, effort and play hard that will be successful,” he said. “It’s a sprint, in terms of time, but it’s long in terms of the grind.” 
Gordon said he also wants to see something being built for the long haul as well this season. 
“I just want to have a lot of players in this young group that provide us the foundation that allows us to be very good in the future.” 
The players and coaches have adopted a positive which will be key in making strides this season. The Bulldogs seek to transfer the positive energy and youthful optimism to the playing field as the team plays three games in the next eight days to begin the season. The team kicks off the 2014 regular season Friday against Iowa State before facing off against Cincinnati at the Mississippi State    Soccer Field.