They needed one or two points in the standings, and that’s what the soccer team got.
Friday, Oct. 8
Facing the SEC West leader Auburn (9-2-1, 4-0-1 SEC), the Bulldogs dropped a 3-0 decision (5-6-3, 2-3-1 SEC) in Friday night’s contest with the Tigers.
After an array of first half shots, Auburn finally found the net in the 35th minute following an MSU foul. Jada Stewart sent the free kick into the back of the net to give the Tigers the 1-0 lead.
Auburn struck again in the 42nd minute following a Heather Ammann foul of a streaking Tiger forward inside the Bulldog box.
Jenn Walters made good on the penalty shot, beating Bulldog keeper Emily Meyers to the right. Auburn took a 2-0 lead into halftime.
“We didn’t play to our potential,” said forward Betty Ann Casey.
Auburn added another goal in the 59th minute as Courtney Crandell connected on a shot as a result of a perfectly placed through ball from Chrissy Culver to extend the lead to 3-0.
“Auburn played the best soccer of any team we have seen all season,” said head coach Neil MacDonald. “Their striker movement was excellent and their back three’s ability to put pressure on the ball was incredible.”
Sunday, Oct. 10
In a game where points were a necessity, the Bulldogs used a second half rally to derail Alabama (6-8-0, 2-4-0 SEC) 2-1 Sunday afternoon in Tuscaloosa.
Bama struck first in the contest following a Bulldog defensive miscue due to poor field conditions caused by heavy rains.
The Tide’s Libby Probst corralled the loose ball, sending it to the head of Kylie Boyd who beat Meyers far post to give Alabama a 1-0 lead at intermission.
State netted the equalizer in the 51st minute on freshman Jessica Davis’ first career goal in Maroon and White.
Davis received a pass from Ngum Suh and dribbled the ball into open space, firing a 25-yard shot to beat Bama keeper Laura Lowman tying the game at 1-1.
“Today was a really emotional win for us,” Morgan McDonald said. “They got the first goal and we came back by playing really hard.”
With less than 10 minutes remaining in the contest, State captured the game-winner on its eighth and final corner kick of the day.
Sara Moore’s service into the Tide box bounced off one of the Bama defenders and Kristin Peterson was close enough for the game winner.
“I thought we played extremely well today in difficult conditions,” MacDonald said. “I think it came down to us creating more chances today than Alabama.”
With the win over Alabama, State earned a much needed three points in SEC play. The Bulldogs now sit in third in the SEC West and are in seventh place overall.
The Bulldogs return to action this weekend as they travel to No. 11 Florida Friday and finish their four-game road trip with a Sunday match at South Carolina.