After 182 minutes of Southeastern Conference soccer, the Lady Bulldog soccer team netted its first conference goal of the season to earn a split on opening weekend.
Friday, Sept. 24
The Bulldogs opened SEC play Friday night with a 3-0 loss to the No. 17 Tennessee Volunteers at the Mississippi State Soccer Field.
Tennessee controlled both the ball and field position in the first half, totaling 13 shots and limiting the Bulldogs to only three.
Despite the discrepancy in shots, the two teams traded scoring chances without any results until the Lady Vols struck with just over two-and-a-half minutes remaining.
Tennessee midfielder Ali Christoph recorded her second goal of the season on a 35-yard shot that just sneaked over the hands of jumping Bulldog keeper Stephanie Dallas giving UT the 1-0 halftime lead.
“We lost a killer goal; it was a horrible goal to lose,” head coach Neil MacDonald said. “It changed the face of the game.”
In the second half the Tennessee defense contained the Bulldogs and never let MSU launch an effective offensive attack, restricting State to only five shots.
“I thought we had our chances and we just didn’t finish them,” Kevyn Shelledy said.
With just over 11 minutes remaining in the game, Lady Vol forward Emily Redberg put the game out of reach as she netted her second goal of the season as she connected on a 20-yard upper-90 blast.
Forward Lyndsey Patterson added another late Tennessee goal on a one-timer sent into the box by teammate Sue Flamini for the third and final goal.
“It’s a tough loss, 3-0 is a lot different that 1-0; the first two goals were unfortunate,” Morgan McDonald said. “We know where we stand now and we have to work harder and hopefully we will see them again in the SEC Tournament.”
Sunday, Sept. 26
MSU rebounded Sunday afternoon as they defeated Georgia 1-0 in overtime in an extremely physical contest.
Junior keeper Emily Meyers earned her first start of the season and didn’t disappoint as she recorded 13 saves en route to her first shutout in Maroon and White.
“I was excited about the chance to start because I have worked really hard this season,” Meyers said. “I thank my back four for keeping the pressure intense back there, and I’m glad that we won because this was a big SEC game.”
“Emily did brilliantly today,” MacDonald said. “She moved her feet wonderfully well today and she made a couple of very good saves that kept us in the game.”
In a game that was dominated by defensive play, neither team was able to muster any real scoring threat through two periods of play.
The Bulldogs nearly got on the board with less than four minutes remaining in the second half on a Karen Sandrik free kick that freshman Jessica Davis headed just wide of the goal.
As the game headed into overtime, the Bulldogs wasted little time in claiming their first SEC win of the season.
Just over two minutes into the first overtime, Georgia midfielder Elizabeth Metherell was called for a handball, resulting in a free kick for the Bulldogs.
From about 45 yards out, Sandrik played the ball into the box where Ngum Suh flicked the ball to the feet of Sara Moore who beat Georgia keeper Ashley Lindley near post for the game-winning goal.
“Coach put me in early in overtime and I just remember making a few runs and thinking if I don’t score this goal I’m not gonna be able to run back,” Moore said.
The goal was Moore’s first goal of the season and her second career game-winning goal.
“All credit to the girls; we struggled in the first half and in the second half we got pressure where we needed to and we created as good of chances as they did,” MacDonald said. “It’s a massive three points for us today, massive.”
MSU next takes on Jacksonville State tonight at 7 p.m. in a makeup of a Sept. 17 game which was canceled due to Hurricane Ivan.