STARKVILLE — Thursday night was a record-breaking night for Mississippi State despite a less-than-exciting result on the field.
What ended up as a scoreless draw became the backdrop as the Bulldogs broke their own unbeaten conference streak, having now gone five-straight matches without a loss in SEC play, and broke an all-time attendance mark.
A crowd of 1,023 showed up to the MSU Soccer Field for the 2023 regular-season home finale, adding to a school-record season-long attendance mark of 9,034.
The Bulldogs have continued a dominant run of form over the past month or so as the SEC Tournament in Pensacola awaits.
“We much preferred to have won, but that point is very valuable in terms of standings,” head coach James Armstrong said. “With that point, there are a few teams that mathematically can’t catch us. … Sometimes you don’t realize during the season which point is going to make the big difference. … The fans, unbelievable all season long. They do make a massive difference.”
Thursday night saw Mississippi State (9-3-4, 4-2-2 SEC) have the better of chances, putting constant pressure on Vanderbilt’s back line in the second half of the match.
Chances in general were tough to come by, and the final stats show it, with the Bulldogs narrowly winning the shot battle, 9-6, despite both teams finishing with three shots on goal each.
Even corner kicks were nearly non-existent, with just three combined overall, but in a match like that against a tough conference opponent, coming out with a point was key.
“I think, first half, we were getting back into it, but second half, I thought we did a lot better shifting as a defensive unit,” goalkeeper Maddy Anderson said. “We shut them down a lot to where they just had to kick it out of bounds. I think there’s a lot to move forward with.”
The senior pitched her fourth-straight shutout in goal, the team’s fourth-straight shutout, and her ninth of the season with two matches remaining.
Defense has been a key to success in conference play for the Bulldogs, who rank 26th in the nation in goals conceded and goals-against average on the season, and it stems from the work of Anderson in net.
“I thought today was one of her best performances of the season,” Armstrong said. “… She’s a calming influence. She’s our quarterback. She dictates the rhythm and tempo and she’s a special player. She always has been since the moment she stepped on campus.”
Two matches remain, both on the road, to wrap up the regular season for Mississippi State, both against ranked opponents who historically have had the Bulldogs’.
Arkansas, a top-10 team, is looking for revenge in Fayetteville following a 2-0 defeat in Starkville last season, and Alabama wants to make it five-straight seasons without a loss to the Bulldogs.
The metrics favor the Bulldogs, who sport a top-20 RPI nationally and currently sit at No. 15 in the DI Soccer Committee’s latest rankings.
With competitive matches to end the season and a strong showing in the SEC Tournament, that attendance record could obliterated come November.
“The belief within the team, it doesn’t matter what formation we play, it doesn’t matter what tactics,” Anderson said. “We have a belief that we can apply the game plan and be able to execute it to the best of our ability. That belief has kept us going.”
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