A break away found Hailey Farrington-Bentil, a sophomore forward from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in front of goal with the ball at her feet. She fired a shot, but the ball flew right of the goal.
This missed opportunity was one that Mississippi State University’s soccer head coach James Armstrong said could have certainly given MSU the lead. However, Boston College would score two goals later in the second half to win 2-0.
“We’ve got to at least hit the target there,” Armstrong said. “That could have been the turning point in the game. 10 minutes later, they go down and they score. That was a big moment in the game for sure.”
Boston College scored its first goal in the 66 minute by shooting the ball into the bottom right corner, while the second goal came off of a saved shot in the 75 minute. As the rebound was driven into the net with about 14 minutes to play, the game was put to bed.
While MSU created opportunities on offense with nine shots, five players were on target, had chances to score and were unable to find the success Boston College had. Armstrong said he felt his team could have been up 3-0 at one point in the game, but they failed to score a goal.
“We created a bunch of moments, but we didn’t finish a bunch of moments, and credit to Boston College they did,” Armstrong said. “They showed a bit of extra quality and experience, and we didn’t. Today it didn’t quite run our way.”
This loss was the third loss of the year, but the defeat came at the hands of Boston College, who has not lost a game all year and is 7-0-1. Armstrong said games like that are very unforgiving.
“When you are a young team and you are learning, you are going to get punished for your mistakes,” Armstrong said. “We are now far enough along in the season that we (have) got to learn from our mistakes. That is something we have talked to the team about.”
The next game for MSU will be against Texas A&M Thursday at 7 p.m. and is the first SEC game of the season. Makayla Waldner, a senior forward from Dexter, Missouri, said the team will work on finishing in practice leading up to A&M.
Waldner also said games like today prepared the team for SEC play, and she said Boston College has a similar team to South Carolina and Texas A&M.
“Each team that we have played has had a different characteristic that we are trying to improve on,” Waldner said. “That is our goal— to be ready for SEC, come out and show who we are. Let them know that Mississippi State is here.”
With this season being Waldner’s last season wearing the Maroon and White, she said it is bittersweet.
“I’m excited for it to start, but I know as soon as SEC starts it is going to fly by,” Waldner said. “I’m not ready to give up my senior year yet. There are some moments that I’m very excited for. I know as a whole team we are just anticipating getting better every single day.”
Soccer loses to Eagles, looks ahead to SEC
Kathryn Beatty | The Reflector
MSU forward Hailey Farrington-Bentil dribbles with the ball against Boston College on Sunday. The Bulldogs lost the game to the Eagles 2-0.
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