Mississippi State University soccer fell to the Auburn University Tigers by a score of 1-0 in a defensive battle this past Sunday. 
Without their starting goalkeeper Maddy Anderson, the Bulldogs relied heavily on sophomore goalkeeper Mac Titus in her first career start to hold off the Tigers’ offensive attacks.  
In the 20th minute of the first period, Titus made a key save on a shot taken by Auburn’s M.E. Craven. Titus recorded four total saves in the period to keep the Tigers off of the board.
On the flip side, the Bulldogs struggled against a tough Auburn defense and were unable to find success on their three shot attempts. 
After halftime, the match remained tied 0-0, and both teams were looking for a way to score.  
Auburn’s attacking offense was looking to strike. In a 14-minute stretch, the Tigers had seven shot attempts, but the Bulldog defense held strong, not allowing a single goal.
In the 55th minute, Titus recorded her fifth save of the match when Auburn’s Craven tried pushing in a goal. 
Freshman forward Alivia Burton attempted the most promising goal of the match for the Bulldogs in the 76th minute. However, Auburn’s goalkeeper, Maddie Prohaska, prevented the goal. 
Auburn’s offense eventually found its way against the Bulldogs’ defense when Carly Thatcher scored the game-winning goal for the Tigers in the 79th minute.  
Following the hard-fought match, MSU head coach James Armstrong said Auburn was just one step ahead of the Bulldogs. 
“(I’m) very proud of the effort the girls gave again today,” Armstrong said. “Unfortunately, Auburn made one more play than us. We will get back to work and look to bounce back in our next match.” 
Unfortunately, the Bulldog offense never found its way against the Tigers’ tough defense.
Through their first 12 matches, the Bulldogs remained undefeated. The last two matches have proven to be significant challenges for the Bulldogs, who dropped both games and are now 9-2-3 (3-2-1) on the season.
The Bulldogs will look to defend the Magnolia Cup and regain their winning ways as they travel for their next match against in-state rival, the University of Mississippi (9-3-2) (3-3). The match in Oxford, Mississippi, is set for Thursday at 6 p.m. and will be streamed live on the SEC Network.