The Mississippi State Soccer team is continuing the success of last season into the current one. Although the season has just started, the team has given fans a glimpse of what the 2025 season may look like.
Earlier this week, the Bulldogs faced off against No. 10 Wake Forest, where they secured the win of 2-1. Wake Forest is one of the few teams on their schedule that is currently ranked, and they managed to shut them down with ease.
“We dominated them in the first half,” midfielder Ally Perry said. “I told everyone to keep playing how we did in the first half and we’ll win.”
State left the first half tied 1-1 thanks to the goal by sophomore Kara Harris. This was Harris’ first goal of the season which made it all the more meaningful.
“Oh, it feels great,” Harris said. “It’s a first start for me; new team, a new Zimmerman era. No better goal to score than this game.”
Harris has now scored every time she has faced off against Wake Forest in an MSU jersey.
Nick Zimmerman has been on the MSU staff since 2019, but it was not until this season that he was named Head Coach. It is clear in the way his team acts both on and off the field that Zimmerman is leading Bulldog Soccer in the right direction.
“There’s belief, there’s trust,” Zimmerman said. “We ask them to trust us and we trust them.”
Not only was Zimmerman the first MSU head coach to win their first matchup against a ranked team, but he has also achieved the highest ranked win in program history by a head coach during their first year.
Heading back onto the grass after halftime tied meant one of two things: State could secure the victory or accept a loss. The confidence and attitude of the team assisted them to remain undefeated.
“That locker room at half time was full of belief and ready to go in the second half,” said Zimmerman.
Post half time, Perry locked in the win with a penalty kick.
State is currently unranked, and being able to beat a top-10 ranked team this early in the season opens a wide range of possibilities for the Bulldogs.
Aside from pure talent, confidence is what seems to be getting the team through the tough minutes on the field.
“The confidence is just us,” said Harris. “That’s our mantra and that’s what we go by.”
During last season’s match versus Wake Forest, MSU fell short 1-2, making this year a comeback. This matchup has set the Bulldogs up for success for their future opponents such as No. 6 Tennessee, No. 11 Vanderbilt and No. 13 Arkansas.
“This was an incredible learning experience. You know, we talk about performance over results and there were a lot of positives from this performance,” Zimmerman said.
There is no better practice than facing off against some of the country’s best teams, and Mississippi State excelled at it more than expected. 1,454 fans showed up and showed out against Wake Forest, making 769 more fans than the previous game. The increase in attendance not only shows that State soccer is making a comeback, but that the whole community is starting to notice.
The season is only getting started, but the Bulldogs believe that this is only a fraction of what fans can expect.
“I think this gave us the confidence that we needed,” Perry said.
State may be confident about how their season is headed, but they are also humble in knowing that it will not be perfect and they may face bumps in the road.
“Even one step back is still a step forward for us because it’s just in our process,” Harris said.
The Bulldogs will be coming off this win to head to Texas and face off against Baylor, followed by Oklahoma State and Tennessee in the near future.
Belief and confidence are the words of the team, and they are hoping it will stick throughout the remainder of the season.
