The Bulldogs hosted No.1 Tennessee in their Southeastern Conference home opener resulting in the rocky top to come tumbling down.
First round of SEC play has just confirmed that this will be a shocking season for the Mississippi State Soccer Team. The unranked Bulldogs defeated the top-ranked team with a final score of 3-2, and in the rigorous game of soccer, it only takes one play to change the game.
“What we need is one moment, one moment of magic,” said Head Coach Nick Zimmerman.
Mississippi State got just that. Zoe Main started off the night strong with the first point on the board for State, ultimately claiming her territory on home turf.
“Scoring in front of all those people, like I just looked at the fans like this is insane,” Main said. “It just felt surreal.”
The Bulldogs ended the first half with a one point lead over the Vols, but then began to lose that dominance when UT scored their two goals within two minutes of each other and gained the lead.
MSU’s Ally Perry, however, was determined to get that moment that Coach was talking about, and she started the turning point when she tied up the game in the second half.
“I really wanted and needed that momentum for myself with this new season,” said Perry.
Perry’s first goal of the night was truly a gamechanger, or as Zimmerman would say, that one moment of magic.
The goal to secure the win was also scored by Perry, assisted by freshman Adia Symmonds. With less than two minutes left of the game, Perry made her way to the goal and handled business for her team.
“Every time Ally has the ball I just get out of her way so she can shoot it,” said Main.
This game was more than a win; it was a testimony to the players, the underdogs, that Mississippi State belongs in the Southeastern Conference. The win against the Vols marks the second year in a row that MSU took down the No.1 team at home, but this year was different.
“Nobody thought we could beat them,” said Perry, “It does mean a little bit more because no one really thought we could do it, so truly we’re the underdogs this year.”
Being in the SEC unranked, it seems nearly impossible to beat a team like Tennessee, but Zimmerman knew his girls had it in them all along. Each game is a step towards being a better team, but tonight showed everyone just how well State is performing.
“Tenneessees’ dang good, and you know, so many really good performances so again, really proud of the group,” said Zimmerman, “Today’s performance was unbelievable.”
Aside from the cheering and encouragement coming from the sidelines to help secure the win, the StarkVegas community played a larger role in the game than they may have thought. With an attendance count of 2,104 fans, the game marked the sixth-largest attendance record in program history.
“I don’t even know how to explain it, words can’t say how much we appreciate- how much we need them,” said Perry, “They make a huge difference, you can feel their presence. I can’t imagine how it feels for another team to come in here hearing the cowbells, hearing them chant.”
The win over Tennessee has not only given the fans hope for the remainder of the season, but the players, too.
“We knew going into SEC that we were scoring with so many different people, it was a matter of how we would do in the SEC with it, and we showed ourselves very well,” said Perry.
The Bulldogs will continue on with conference play in their next matchup on Sept.18 in Austin, Texas against the Longhorns, who are also unranked.
Once again, Dawgs must eat, and these Dawgs are feasting.
