Mississippi State University soccer (8-4-4, 2-4-3 SEC) needed a win coming into today, but walked away disappointed, after only getting a draw. 

The draw in the Magnolia Cup against Ole Miss (10-4-3; 3-4-2) makes MSU’s road to the SEC tournament harder. The Bulldogs led for most of the game, but could not finish it out with a win, even after two overtime periods.

If they won Sunday night’s game, it would have brought them a step closer to clinching a spot in the SEC tournament.

The tournament includes the 10 teams with the most points, and each team gets three points for a win and one point for a tie. State has the 10th most points, with one more game to play.

Now, they will play Texas A&M, who is 2nd in the SEC at 8-1-0 in SEC play. The team will need to win or draw against A&M to avoid tiebreakers against LSU or Kentucky.

However, ties are not losses and Ole Miss is ranked 25 in the NCAA, so MSU is in a relative position of strength. Coach Anagnost said he recognized this after the game.

“All in all, it wasn’t a bad day,” Anagnost said. “We got a point against a Top-25 team. I look at it as us having grown. Hopefully, we can build on it.”
MSU had their share of spectacular moments. Brooke McKee’s header in the 35th minute put the Bulldogs on top and tied her with MaKayla Waldner as the team’s leading scorer this season.

Catalina Perez allowed just one goal and made six saves. Coach Anagnost had nothing but praise for her after the game,

“She’s special, she’s an elite player and we’re so lucky to have her,” Anagnost said.

Mississippi State led for the first half and most of the second but could not hold off the Rebels.

Coach Anagnost attributed the late game breakdowns to tiredness and said his team needs to capitalize on the opportunities they get.

“People were tired and when you’re tired, you are more likely to relent and relinquish something,” Anagnost said.

State next plays Texas A&M (13-2-1, 8-1-0 SEC) at home, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. It is available to watch on SECNetwork+