The Mississippi State soccer team will put its record-setting undefeated season on the line tonight as it hosts Auburn at 7 p.m. to open SEC play. State finished its non-conference season last week with a mark of 8-0 – the best start in school history.
Head coach Neil Macdonald said his team put in a lot of hard work this season to get where they are and have great attitudes.
“They’re working extremely hard as individuals and then for each other as well. The great thing is that this year it’s turned into results,” he said. “I’m very happy and very proud of them, the way that they’ve handled the non-conference, because we have played some good quality teams.”
Macdonald said the SEC teams coming into Starkville this week, Auburn (3-2-3) and Alabama (4-3-0), are no slouches.
“Auburn, in particular, is an excellent soccer team. They’re coming off a great result with [No. 1-ranked] North Carolina, [tying] them in Chapel Hill,” he said. “They’re two tough games, but I’ve said it before that we have to make it about us – what our mentality is, what our competitive nature is.”
Macdonald said even though MSU is undefeated with five shutouts, the low scores are still a concern.
“We’re creating the chances,” he said. “I think we’ve taken more shots than any other team in the SEC. Mississippi State has never been able to boast that. But we’ve got to start converting the chances that we get. When we get into SEC, those chances will be less and less.”
Senior goalkeeper Taryn Holland said she has a lot of confidence in the defense MSU has played this season and does not feel pressure in 1-0 games.
“I’m really confident in our back line,” she said. “It’s nice to know that I have two strong players in the middle with Leanna [Baldner] and Hannah [Tyler], and I have two strong players on the outside.”
Holland is tied for the career shutout record at MSU, notching 10 going into tonight’s matchup, and has allowed only four goals all season.
However, she credits the entire team for her individual record.
“It’s for the whole team — it starts at the top and goes back,” Taryn said. “If the offense isn’t doing their job, it’s going to break down the defense eventually, and they’ll score on us. So, it goes to the whole team.”
Leading the offense into tonight’s game is Kat Walsh, who was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. Walsh is responsible for all scoring in MSU’s last three games, and leads the team in goals with six and points with 12.
She also was selected for the TopDrawerSoccer.com Women’s College Soccer National Team of the Week.
When asked about the honors, an emotional Walsh had to pause briefly with tears in her eyes.
“Coming where I came from, having to sit out for so long, thinking you can’t make a difference, it’s a really unbelievable honor to be recognized like that,” she said. “It gave me the confidence that, ‘Hey, I’m an impact player. I can change my team and my team believes in me. I have coaches that believe in me.’ It’s a big deal for me.”
Walsh transferred last year from LSU where she said she was never given much opportunity. She had to sit out last season due to NCAA rules governing transfers.
The Birmingham, Ala., native said she was never a fan of either Auburn or Alabama, but does not feel any grudge against either team.
“I just wanna beat ’em both, that’s all,” she said.
Holland was less diplomatic.
“Oh yeah, we are so ready to play Auburn,” she said. “I just wanna kill some teams. There are some teams that we have just under our thumbs and we know we should have beaten in the past. This year is the year for them to go down.”