The Mississippi State University women’s soccer team is on a roll to begin the 2022 season, as the Bulldogs defeated the Minnesota Golden Gophers 1-0 last Sunday in a close and competitive matchup.

Both teams started off slow to begin the first half of the match. The Bulldogs and Golden Gophers went back and forth in a defensive duel in the first half of play, with no goals scored and only a combined four shots attempted between the teams.

The Bulldogs had many opportunities to score the first goal of the match, but the Gophers’ defense managed to keep them at bay on the back of two saves. Heading into the second half of the match, the Bulldogs increased intensity and performed more effectively on offense. 

In the 52nd minute of the game, freshman Maggie Wadsworth scored the only goal of the game, with the help of an assist from teammate Hannah Telleysh. The Gophers could not respond, and the Bulldogs’ vigorous defense helped them win a 1-0 victory.
“Something the coaches said at halftime was to come out with the same energy as last game,” Wadsworth said. “They told us to keep going, and that’s what we did.”

“It’s a total team effort,” Bulldogs head coach James Armstrong said after MSU’s victory over Minnesota. “Today was a dogfight. It was not the prettiest of games, but it is all about who’s going to win the most first-balls, the most second-balls and, thankfully for us, today, we had some really good plays in that area.”

With Sunday’s win against the Golden Gophers, junior goalkeeper Maddy Anderson earned her third shutout for this season. Anderson sits at fourth all-time in Mississippi State soccer’s career shutout list with nine career shutouts.

The Bulldogs started the 2022 campaign with three solid wins— putting them at 3-0-1 to start the season. Next up for MSU women’s soccer is the South Alabama Jaguars this Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in Starkville. The match against the Jaguars is part of a four-game home stretch for the Bulldogs. The game will be available to watch on SEC Network+ on ESPN.