The No. 21 Mississippi State University Bulldogs faced off against the No. 10 Arkansas Razorbacks in Fayetteville on Thursday for the final regular season game of the year.
The game was a strong defensive battle between the two SEC squads with the Razorbacks shooting a goal into the back of the net late in the game to secure the conference win.
Reigning defensive player of the week and senior Maddy Anderson held off the Hogs with the help of the Bulldogs’ defense for the majority of the game. Anderson had four saves in the defensive fight for the Bulldog, earning her the “Big Dawg Energy” award by the State program.
Arkansas, known this season for their fast starts, felt the frustration as Mississippi State became the fifth team this season to hold the Hogs scoreless in the first half and the second team to hold them in Fayetteville.
MSU had an impressive eight shots throughout the battle with 62.5% of them being on frame. Sophomore Maggie Wadsworth registered three shots with two being on frame. Juniors Haley McWhirter and Hannah Johnson both had two shots a piece for the Bulldog offense, while Senior Macey Hodge tallied one shot in the matchup.
The Bulldogs fought tooth and nail to try and take the lead as the exhaustive match remained scoreless until the final five minutes. Fans anxiously watched as the Hogs and Bulldogs battled for the winning goal.
The Razorbacks gritted their teeth and found the back of the net within the final five minutes to secure a spot in the SEC Tournament.
With the conclusion of the regular season, MSU completed its fifth season of over 10 wins in program history, including back-to-back winning seasons for the first time ever.
Head coach James Armstrong has led the Bulldogs to the SEC Tournament each year. This year will make the fifth consecutive trip, marking another program record.
Mississippi State claimed the fourth seed in the upcoming SEC Tournament, despite the hard-fought loss. The fourth seed is the highest seeding for MSU in the modern era of the Southeastern Conference Tournament. With this seeding, Mississippi State will be granted a bye and will automatically participate in the quarterfinals.
The No. 4 seeded Bulldogs will face the No. 5 seeded Alabama in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament Tuesday at 8:30 p.m., and the matchup will be aired on SEC Network.