STARKVILLE — The No. 7 Bulldogs soccer team takes on the No. 1 team in the nation on Friday when undefeated Arkansas arrives in Starkville.
The Razorbacks, one of the most prolific teams in Division I soccer, present a case of opposing styles in this top-10 matchup.
Arkansas is fourth in shot attempts and leads the nation in goals with 48 scored through 10 games, leading the next closest team by 15 goals. Razorback forwards Kate Doyle and Ava Tankersley each have eight goals this season, spearheading an attack that averages nearly five goals per game.
“We’ll be ready for Arkansas,” Armstrong said. “They’ll come in here all guns blazing and we have to match that intensity.”
Armstrong’s side is built on defense. Mississippi State leads the nation in goals-against average, and is level with Duke with just two goals conceded all season while having played two more games than Duke.
The team’s high-intensity defensive approach has allowed them to attack opponents from the front. The forwards and wingers all play an important role through counter-pressing to win the ball back quickly, but another aspect of the tactic is the time it buys the defense to get into shape and prepare for an attack.
Arkansas will attack unlike any team the Bulldogs have played so far this season. They pounce high up the field as well, getting numbers forward and putting players in position to fight for second and third chances in case the first doesn’t go in.
“They do a great job of getting numbers forward, making you uncomfortable and putting balls into the box,” Armstrong said of the Razorback attack. “For us, we need to make sure we’re good at defending where we put the pressure on, will it be deeper or higher, those are all things we need to think about. At the end of the day, Arkansas preys on mistakes, so we have to be tight with the details and that’s what we’ll focus on.”
The Bulldogs have adjusted mid-game in each of their last two wins, switching their defensive shape to where they found it best to break down the opposition’s attack. Against No. 11 Texas, the Bulldogs’ formation change helped put a stop to several attacks in wide areas when the Longhorns began finding more chances to get forward. The adjustment limited Texas to just two shots on target.
For the Bulldogs and Armstrong, that is the key in continuing to build on what is an already impressive record. They don’t plan to allow another team to dictate the flow of the game. Their focus is on their game and how they can give themselves the same ability to find control against one of the best teams in the nation.
“We’ll look at the film and what we need to improve on,” Armstrong said after the win against LSU on Sunday. “We played a couple of different shapes tonight so on both sides of the ball we can be sharper. We’ll continue to focus inward and improving ourselves rather than worrying about a so-called No. 1 team. We need to play our best.”
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