The first round of the NCAA Tournament on Nov. 16 was no match for the Mississippi State University women’s soccer team’s undefeated record as they beat the Southern University Jaguars 7-0 at the MSU Soccer Field.
Within the first five minutes of the game, the Bulldogs found the goal, keeping the Jaguars from scoring the whole game. The 5 p.m. game at Mississippi State was set up perfectly, with a chilly breeze, a Sherbert sunset and a field surrounded by 3,461 fans, breaking the program’s attendance record for the third time this season.
Head coach James Armstrong was proud of the fan turnout for the first playoff game.
“To see the line of people waiting to get in tonight gave us goosebumps,” Armstrong said. “When we heard how loud they were and how into the game they were, it was more than we could ever ask.”
Families and students rang cowbells and cheered on the team to keep the positive energy in favor of the Bulldogs. Three goals were secured in the first half, giving the Bulldogs a hefty lead that continued for the entirety of the game. The Bulldogs have accumulated an average of two goals per game, keeping the action on both ends of the field every game.
Armstrong has seen his sixth season leading the Bulldogs and his third taking the team to post-season play. The Bulldogs have also seen 14 consecutive wins at home, keeping Starkville a strong place for Mississippi State to dominate.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the girls or prouder of the fans,” Armstrong said. “This was a great night for Mississippi State as a whole and our program.”
Forward Maggie Wadsworth was the first player to break the zeroes with an impressive shot. Wadsworth was assisted by senior forward Aitana Martinez-Montoya and freshman midfielder Kennedy Husbands for a group effort to start the Bulldogs off strong.
Also keeping the lead the whole time, MSU’s defense did not let up for even a second. Graduate goalkeeper Maddy Anderson continued to show her leadership to the team by keeping up her guard against the goal. Anderson was named the 2024 SEC Goalkeeper of the Year, holding up 13 shutouts and a 0.43 goals-against average.
“The defense has been unbelievable throughout the season,” Armstrong said. “It’s not just the goalkeeper and the back three either, although they’ve done an incredible job. It starts from the front, so our attacking players have shifted to the defensive side as well. It’s a whole team effort just as our backs and keepers have to be good in distribution to mount an attack.”
Going into the second half of the game, the Bulldogs continued to keep a hard drive in energy to hold back the Jaguars. Senior defender Riley Combs found the goal to start the second half, encouraging fans to continue the energy. Every goal was followed by an eruption of celebration, and the team took the score to 7-0 with a little less than 30 minutes on the clock.
Combs detailed the soccer team’s new mindset heading into the start of the NCAA tournament and how the team feels going forward.
“I think especially going off of last game, our team was like ‘this is a new chapter,’” Combs said. “We closed that one, and now it’s time for the NCAA Tournament so we need to kick it up a notch. We weren’t satisfied with how the SEC Tournament ended, so I think from now on we have a new perspective on what we want to accomplish, and today was a very good stepping point for what we want to do going forward.”
As the current No. 1. seed in the SEC, Mississippi State’s lead in the conference continues to shine as the NCAA Tournament continues. The Bulldogs currently hold a 17-2-0 overall record and the nation’s top winning percentage of .895. The Bulldogs will face off at home against Washington on Nov. 22 at 6 p.m. in hopes of continuing their dominance in the NCAA Tournament.
