It was an electric atmosphere Thursday night when Mississippi State University took on the the University of South Carolina. About 1,400 people attended to watch the Bulldogs earn a hard-fought, last-second, overtime win.
“The crowd was awesome. They were great,” head coach Tom Anagnost said.
The first half was full of suffocating defense from both sides, neither of which had given up more than five goals total in their first eight games. Three players played a big part in protecting the goal for MSU.
Courtney Robicheaux, a senior from Mandeville, Louisiana, Miranda Carrasco, a freshman from Cypress, Texas, and Hailey Zerbel, a junior from West Covina, California, played every minute on the back line for the Bulldogs, allowing no goals from the run of play.
South Carolina’s lone goal came on a penalty kick in minute 12, scored by Lauren Chang. The Gamecocks would lead 1-0 at the half.
The Bulldogs got off to a quick start in the second half, as forward Brooke McKee, a senior from Madison, Alabama, earned a penalty kick after being fouled in the box in the 49th minute. However, midfielder Carly Mauldin, a senior from Laurel, went to the spot and missed.
Minutes later, McKee would earn another penalty kick for the home team. This time it was Niah Johnson, a freshman from Rowlett, Texas, who took the kick and slipped the ball past South Carolina goalkeeper Mikayla Krzeczowski to tie the game at 1-1 in the 53rd minute.
The remainder of regulation contained some great opportunities for both sides. Big defensive plays by MSU goalkeeper Rhylee Decrane, a senior from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and defender Kristen Malebranche, a sophomore from Hillsborough, New Jersey, kept the score level.
On offense, Johnson and MaKayla Waldner, a junior from Dexter, Missouri, continued to create chances for the Bulldogs. Neither side was able to break the tie in regulation, and the SEC matchup headed into overtime.
It was a short overtime when just over three minutes in, McKee found Zakirah McGillivary, a freshman from Brooklyn, with a pass about 25 yards from goal. McGillivary took the pass, turned and fired an absolutely stunning shot into the top left corner of the goal for the walk-off Bulldog win. McGillivary described how thankful she was of her team.
“Honestly, it was all a team effort, I couldn’t do anything without my team, and we played so hard against South Carolina,” McGillivary said. “Coming off of that loss against Auburn, we just had a great mindset, we were gonna restart. We have been undefeated on our home ground, so we battled, we went to overtime and I was just glad to put it away so that we could move forward to Tennessee on Sunday.”
Perhaps the most impactful performance came from McKee, who earned both penalty kicks and recorded the game-winning assist. She cited the team’s culture for the Bulldog’s success.
“I just think it’s the culture that Tom (Anagnost) has created, and the standard that he has set,” McKee said. “Everybody on our team has accepted that, and there is no deviating from it. We just have to push ourselves and everyone around us to obtain that and get there.”
The 2-1 victory was the closest game the Bulldogs had all season, as all eight of their previous matchups were decided by two goals or more.
“I thought it showed our character,”Anagnost said. “It showed how tough, how disciplined we are. In the end, our kids held strong.”
With the win, the Bulldogs improved to a (8-1) and the Gamecocks dropped to (7-2), with both teams winning one and losing one in conference play. The Bulldogs will be back in action this Sunday against another SEC opponent, Tennessee (7-1-1), in Knoxville. SEC Network will broadcast the game at 2:00 p.m.
