The Mississippi State University soccer program’s historic 2022 season came to an end at the hands, or feet if you will, of the University of Memphis Tigers by a score of 4-1 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament from Fayetteville, Arkansas. 
MSU soccer started the season off on a hot streak by going undefeated through the first 15 games of the season. The Bulldog faithful witnessed incredible feats, such as goalkeeper Maddy Anderson breaking the program’s single-season shutout record, shattered attendance records and the Magnolia Cup remaining in Starkvegas for the third-straight year, just to name a few.
Upon ending a record-breaking regular season, the Bulldogs carried their success into the postseason. MSU soccer advanced to the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament and into the second round of the NCAA Tournament after the program’s first NCAA Tournament win 2-1 against New Mexico State University in Starkville.
Bulldogs head coach James Armstrong discussed what it meant to his team when they were selected to play in the NCAA Tournament.
“It was just an immense sense of pride,” Armstrong said. “We actually trained this time last year. We gave the players the option whether they wanted to train or whether they wanted some time off. It was unanimous, ‘We want to feel what it feels like to train this time of year because next year, we’re going to be doing it for real.'”
As the No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament, MSU traveled to the host site in Fayetteville to take on an unseeded Memphis team Friday night. Prior to facing the Bulldogs, the Tigers pulled off a big upset against Saint Louis University in a narrow 1-0 victory.
The first half of the game was another battle for MSU. The Memphis Tigers were hungry to keep moving along in the NCAA Tournament. Saorla Miller, the captain of the Memphis squad, netted the team’s first goal on a free kick. 
After going down 1-0 to the Tigers at the half, the Bulldogs could not respond. Memphis scored again by sneaking one into the net that was just too high for Anderson to save. MSU tried to respond with a corner kick, but the attempt was unsuccessful.
The Tigers kept tight possession of the ball, and in turn, left MSU with very few chances to score. Memphis netted two more goals and shutout the Bulldogs 4-0.
With the loss against Memphis, MSU soccer finished the 2022 season with a 12-6-4, 4-4-2 record. Although the Bulldogs’ season has ended, the program has showed continuous improvement over the last few seasons. After a historic and record-breaking season, MSU soccer will look to continue its success on the pitch into 2023.