AUSTIN – Mississippi State Captain Ally Perry was subbed off with just over 10 minutes to go at Texas on Thursday night, but she was all smiles about it. The win was secure and she had bagged her third goal in two games, and after receiving her curtain call she gave one last celebration to the camera, a ‘horns down’ signal to mark another big win for the Bulldogs.
MSU soccer stayed hot in SEC play with a 3-0 win, dominating the Longhorns in the second half to stay perfect in conference play. Perry struck again from distance for the Bulldogs, and true freshman and fellow Texan Laila Murillo added a brace from midfield to seal the deal.
“We’re a new team, so this is huge for us,” Murillo said after the game. “Coming off of Tennessee, this was another way to prove to ourselves that what we’ve been working on, everything we’ve trained for, results are coming into play. I love getting to grow with this team and getting to build these connections and everything, and just getting to succeed together as a team.”
The Bulldogs, now 7-1, will return to Starkville for a highly anticipated match against Auburn on Sunday. Their media availability this week came ahead of the trip to Texas, so naturally, the team was focused on the game at hand and not the reunion with former head coach James Armstrong.
“That’s you guys, that’s why you guys get paid the big bucks,” head coach Nick Zimmerman said with a smile. “There’s no extra storylines for us. Texas is our focus, and then when the game ends tomorrow night, then we’ll turn the page and play against a very good Auburn team. Once that happens, we’ll look to prepare for them in 48 hours.”
The game has been circled for fans ever since the schedule was released because of the return of Armstrong, who coached the Bulldogs for six years and oversaw the program’s first SEC championship in 2024. He left unceremoniously in December to return to Auburn, succeeding his former mentor Karen Hoppa.
Zimmerman stepped into the head coaching role after six years as Armstrong’s right-hand man in Starkville, and the team has hardly missed a step despite graduating most of the starting 11 from last year. Two wins over teams ranked in the Top 10 have catapulted the Bulldogs up the rankings once again, and both coaches and players have shown they mean business.
When the Tigers come to town on Saturday, the crowd might be prepared to face the former head coach, but the team itself will be preparing for the Tigers.
“We know they’re obviously well coached, they’ve got a lot of really good players,” Zimmerman continued. “That will be another great opportunity for us to learn and grow. Right now, the focus is on Texas, a really good team at home for their home opener, so we certainly have our hands full.”
The Bulldogs backed up their coach’s words on the field, dismantling the Longhorns on the road with a stunning second half.
The first half ended in a level draw at 0-0, and while there were no clear chances to show for it, it was the Bulldogs who had the upper hand for much of the frame. Ally Perry nearly connected from distance on a bending left-footed shot from the edge of the box, but had to watch the effort land on the top of the net.
The second half began with the same enterprising play from MSU, only this time the team and Perry were rewarded.
The captain received the ball centrally about 20 yards out from goal, cut away from her favored left foot onto her right, and fired a powerful shot into the roof of the net. The bend on the ball was likely as confusing for the Texas goalkeeper to read as the sight of Perry using her right foot, but it showed her versatility as well as the confidence that two goals against Tennessee gave her last week.
The Bulldogs continued getting forward and capitalized on the newfound momentum, adding two goals from Murillo from nearly the same position in the center of the box. The first effort came on a cutback pass from the right wing while the final goal came from the left.
For a team where half of the players are underclassmen, the Bulldogs continue to show plenty of mettle in big games. This was the team’s second victory in a true road game, and came at the home of the 2024 SEC Tournament champions.
“This team has a bright future,” Murillo said. “Everything we work for, we train together, we train hard, but everything we do is just us. That’s something that we’re very passionate about, working together and it’s way beyond soccer. This is more of our compatibility with one another.”
MSU will face Auburn at 6 p.m. Sunday in Starkville.
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