The Mississippi State women’s soccer team faces two more SEC opponents this weekend. Going into the weekend with a 1-2-1 record in the SEC, the Bulldogs face unranked Georgia on Friday before traveling to Knoxville on Sunday to play the Tennessee Volunteers, ranked No. 10.
After two momentum-building SEC games last weekend, a tie with Alabama and win over Auburn, the Bulldogs have confidence as the weekend approaches. However, the competition in both the Georgia and Tennessee squads will not be easily overcome, head coach Neil Macdonald said.
“We’ll try to get them back down to earth and have really tough practices,” Macdonald said. “It’s just a matter of making sure they get back to work and making sure they’re back focused on the job at hand.”
Senior forward Tarah Henderson echoed the focused thoughts of her coach.
“One win isn’t going to carry us through a whole season, but of course it will give us the morale to continue to work hard,” Henderson said.
With an overall record of 4-5-3, the Bulldogs have not won a game on the road yet.
Sophomore captain and defender Morganne Grimes said the team has felt the road game jitters so far in 2011. 
“Just being at home, we’re more confident,” Grimes said. “It’s our field; we know what’s going on. It’s just scary when you’re at someone else’s field and they have all those things and it’s working against you.”
Grimes had one assist in the 2-2 tie against Alabama last Friday.
The Bulldogs will face two strong but very different programs this weekend. While only one of the upcoming opponents is ranked, Macdonald reminded his team that in the SEC, whether you win or lose, they must refocus on Monday and go back to work getting ready for the next game. 
“Any team can beat any team in the Southeastern Conference,” Macdonald said. “Georgia is usually a very indirect team. They possess the ball really well, and then Tennessee is the complete opposite. They try to win the ball in the midfield.”
When considering the strengths of the opposing Georgia Bulldogs, Grimes said she is familiar with Friday’s opponent, and expects them to be a talented bunch.
“I know a lot of girls on that team, and I know how good they are,” Grimes said. “It’s going to be a matter of only looking at Friday and only trying to get one win at a time.”
The consistent Volunteer team has outscored its opponents 29-10 so far this season. In order to combat this strong offense, Henderson said the Bulldog defenders must not allow their opponents the opportunity to shoot at all.
“We focus on how to beat other teams, but we don’t really focus on individual players,” Henderson said. “Because, of course, everyone can be beaten. As long as we focus on that, we should do fine.”