Heading into the 2010-2011 season, Mississippi State soccer coach Neil Macdonald has two things going for his team that he lacked last year: momentum and options.
Coming off a winning season that saw his squad post its best start in school history with eight straight wins, Macdonald said they not only have a mark to beat, but a balanced team capable of reaching higher.
“We won nine games last year and want to make sure that we win more this year,” he said. “[That was] the first goal we set. Getting into the SEC tournament, which is the top eight teams, is our second goal, and along with that, you have a chance at a national tournament as well. Hopefully our non-conference games are going to prepare us well for that.”
The Bulldogs, undefeated in non-SEC matches last season, already extended that streak this year after a 2-1 win at UT Martin Friday night, in the Ohio Valley Conference champion’s season opener.
Mississippi State continues its non-conference schedule with home games this weekend against regional rivals UAB and Southern Miss, appearances in the Trojan Classic next weekend against Troy and South Alabama, and two more home games the following week against Mississippi Valley State and Jackson State.
Their biggest test to date will come Sept. 17 against No. 23 Oklahoma State in a match that kicks off a six game road stretch that also covers the first four SEC matches. The Bulldogs finish the nine game non-conference schedule at Oral Roberts University on Sept. 19.
Mississippi State will then face the familiar bruising SEC schedule they know all too well, starting at Auburn on Sept. 24 and ending at home against Ole Miss on October 29, and including games at No. 11 Florida and No. 12 South Carolina.
Macdonald said he likes the personnel the team has this season, which gives him options to run a faster, more aggressive offense than he has been able to in past seasons.
“We’ve got a great balance this year, with some very talented seniors coming back from last year who played a lot of minutes,” he said. “And it’s looking like two or three freshmen are going to push for starting spots, and will certainly get minutes. So we’ve got a good balance of experienced college players and some new faces as well.”
Senior captains Danielle Kite and Leanna Baldner provide speed and stability to the team, with Kite moving from her spot at midfield last season to forward, joining last year’s top scorer Kat Walsh on the offensive attack.
Kite said the makeup of the new squad will let the Bulldogs surprise a few teams.
“I think we’ve got more depth in the team,” she said. “We’ve got more players than last year, and a selection of players, so I think that with the depth that we’ve got we can change it up for our different opposition.”
Baldner returns to anchor the back line of a defense that rarely surrendered more than two goals in a match and secured four shutouts throughout last season.
“We have a new back line so that’s going to be interesting to figure out in the first little part of it,” she said. “But that’s what non-conference games are for, to figure out the little kinks, what’s working and what’s not working, and who works best together against other teams.”
One question remains at the keeper position, where redshirt sophomore Skylar Rosson hopes to mark her first full season as the starter. Rosson suffered knee injuries in 2008 and 2009, but has been healthy in 2010. However, she cannot afford to become too comfortable in the position, with two freshmen keepers also aiming for the spot.
“Skylar’s an excellent keeper, as good as anybody in the conference,” Macdonald said. “So keeping her healthy is very important to us. We’ve added Abby Risner, who is a very good young keeper, and Lisa Monteith. Both of those players have done extremely well in practice since coming in. So we have a good bit of competition for that spot and it’s going to be an interesting battle.”
Macdonald said the heat endured by the region in recent weeks caused shortened practices and workout changes, but that the team is focused and ready to go, despite missed time.
“We definitely had to cut back on the training sessions and be innovative and try different things with them, because it was shockingly hot at times,” he said. ” I think the only thing that really prepares us for much fitness is actually playing games. I think we’re in decent condition at the moment though. We have one or two slight injuries, nothing major thankfully. But we’re ready to go at this point. I feel like we’re as ready as we can be.”