Mississippi State’s soccer team played evenly with No. 22 Auburn for 84 minutes on Thursday night, but a late header resulted in a 1-0 loss for the Bulldogs.
With just 5:57 left to play, Auburn’s Sydney Richards flicked on a header from 7 yards out. Bulldogs goalkeeper Maddy Anderson had come out to play the service and saw the ball glance off Richards and over her hands before slowly rolling across the goal line.
It was only Auburn’s second shot on goal of the night.
Mississippi State (3-5-3, 1-3-1 SEC) had the run of play early, putting three shots on target before Auburn (9-3-0, 3-2-0 SEC) managed one. In the 17th minute, Onyi Echegini fired at the far upper corner of the frame, but the Tigers’ keeper made a leaping save to keep the ball out. Echegini took another bid on a volley in the 25th minute that was saved at the near post.
Alyssa D’Aloise added a third shot on goal before the half. As the clock was winding down, the Tigers made one final push up the field, but Gwen Mummert made a sliding tackle in the box to shut down a breakaway chance.
After the break, Echegini again forced the keeper to make a save with a low shot in the 69th minute. That came on the heels of two impressive defensive plays for State. In the 66th minute, Mummert blocked a shot in the middle of the box, and on the resulting corner, Auburn put its first shot on target. Anderson made the save in a crowded box, scooping up the redirected ball just before another Auburn attacker could get a foot to it.
In the 82nd minute, Anderson punched a cross, but the ball settled at a Tiger’s foot. Andrea Tyrrell slid in to block her shot attempt to preserve the shutout for a few more minutes. After Auburn’s goal, MSU was able to get one more shot away, but it missed wide of the left post with less than a minute to play.
MSU will travel to Alabama on Sunday, Oct. 10 for a 1 p.m.kickoff with the Crimson Tide. The match will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
Women’s tennis
Antonaki, Racine earn ranked doubles win
Mississippi State’s women’s tennis team picked up a ranked doubles win on Thursday courtesy of their ranked pair.
The No. 41 ranked duo of Antonaki and Racine earned a victory against Wake Forest’s 38th-ranked tandem of Anna Campana and Carolyn Campana 9-8 (10-5).
It was the first ranked win of the season for MSU’s duo.
The pairing of Antonaki and Racine played in a close game earlier in the day, against No. 28 Mary Lewis and Maja Pietrowicz of Michigan State, but fell 8-6.
Antonaki – ranked No. 22 in singles play – was defeated by seventh-ranked Irina Cantos Siemers of Ohio State 6-4, 6-3.
Meanwhile, two hours southeast, Magda Adaloglou and Chloé Cirotte each engaged in their own singles matches in the ITF 15K in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
Adaloglou lost a nail-biter against Hilton Head’s own Emily Ruckno, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Former Wimbledon, French Open, and U.S. Open qualifier Françoise Abanda got the better of Cirotte 6-2, 6-0 on Thursday.
Men’s tennis
Broska, Malesevic conclude play at ITA All-American
Mississippi State’s highest ranked singles competitors concluded play at the ITA All-American on Thursday in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
No. 27 Florian Broska fell to sixth-ranked Johannus Monday of Tennessee 6-1, 7-6 (7-5) in the second round of the main draw.
No. 36 Nemanja Malesevic had to withdraw from his consolation match on Thursday against 39th-ranked Raphael Lambling of South Carolina.
Broska and Malesevic will return to Starkville to begin preparations for the ITA Southern Regionals on Oct. 14-18 in Auburn, Alabama.
Baseball
Team Cheese takes Game 1 of Fall World Series
A six-run second inning was more than enough offense for Team Cheese to cruise to a 10-1 win over Team Goat in the opening game of Mississippi State’s Fall World Series on Thursday.
Team Cheese batted around in that big inning, sending 10 men to the plate and collecting five hits in the process. Tanner Leggett got things rolling with a one-out double to start a string of four consecutive knocks.
Bryce Chance, Brayland Skinner and Lane Forsythe followed up Leggett’s double with three straight singles, with Chance and Forsythe both driving in a run. Jess Davis and Hunter Hines reached on a hit by pitch and walk to load the bases for Logan Tanner, who tattooed a two-out, two-run single to left that Hines also scored on because of a throwing error.
Team Cheese continued its offensive onslaught in the fifth as Slate Alford slapped a solo shot over the wall in right to lead off the frame. Later in the inning, Chance singled and scored on an RBI single to left by Corbin Grantham.
Team Cheese tacked on two more runs in the sixth and final frame of the day. Hines drew a walk to lead off the inning and took second on a passed ball. He eventually came around to score when Leggett delivered a two-out RBI single up the middle.
Team Cheese finished with 10 hits led by Chance’s 3-for-3 performance with three singles and an RBI. Leggett was 2 for 4 with a double and one RBI.
Team Goat scored its lone run in the fourth when Kellum Clark led off with a double and scored on a double by Luke Hancock.
Hancock and Brad Cumbest led Team Goat’s six-hit attack, each going 2 for 3.
Brandon Smith earned the win on the mound for Team Cheese. Smith started and went four innings, allowing one run on 5 hits with 4 strikeouts and 2 walks.
Stone Simmons suffered the loss, going three innings and giving up 5 earned runs on 6 hits, 3 strikeouts and 2 walks.
Game 2 of the Fall World Series is slated for 2:15 p.m. Friday.
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