Fresh off a 2-1 victory in their season opener at Ohio Valley Conference champion UT-Martin, the Mississippi State soccer team looks to extend a 10-game non-conference winning streak tonight at 7 with a home matchup against the UAB Blazers.
The Bulldogs (1-0) last met the Blazers (0-2) in an exhibition match in 2006, when they fell 4-1 in Starkville. In UAB’s most recent match, a 1-0 loss against Alabama last weekend, the Blazers out-shot the Tide, but were unable to capitalize.
Mississippi State closes out the short home stand Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. against Southern Mississippi. The Bulldogs have a 3-1 all-time record against the Golden Eagles (1-0), winning the last three contests.
In addition to eight freshmen seeing their first home action, the MSU soccer team was hoping to test one more new face on Friday &mdash the MSU Soccer Field.
Unfortunately, a Thursday inspection deemed the field not ready for opening weekend, and games this weekend will be played at the Starkville SportsPlex on Lynn Lane.
Over the summer, Mississippi State rebuilt the surface of the soccer pitch. Brent Frey, Coordinator of Event Management and Facilities, said several upgrades to the field were made to address issues experienced in recent years.
“The last couple of years we’ve had a problem when it rained, making the field unplayable at times,” he said. “They could play on it but not practice, because it was too mushy. This year we went to a sand-based field. It has 11 inches of sand, new draining underneath, a new irrigation system and a flat surface. It doesn’t have the crown on it that it had. It’s just a lot more playable field.”
Head coach Neil Macdonald said the new surface will allow drying times in minutes, instead of days.
“It’s a sand-based field, which most of the high-grade soccer fields are now,” Macdonald said. “We know that with the technology, after heavy rains, after about 15 minutes, the field kind of dries up quick.”
The players will have to adjust to more than just better drainage, however. The new surface comes with new challenges, but senior forward Danielle Kite said the team will adapt quickly once they take the field.
“I’m excited about it, because it’s going to be flat, like what we play on with our opposition,” she said. “Our passes are going to be a lot smoother rather than having to think about the little hill we had in the middle to try to get over. I think it could definitely make a difference.”