STARKVILLE — The MSU Soccer Field has played host to plenty of high-stakes meetings in recent years, and will do so once more this season with the arrival of Lipscomb for the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
The Bulldogs (12-6-1) have had a strong season at home, going 5-2-1 with two wins over Top-10 ranked teams.
But Lipscomb (14-5-2) is no pushover, and the Bulldogs will know not to overlook them. Head coach Nick Simmerman was an assistant when the Bulldogs last faced the Bisons in Nashville, a 2-0 victory for MSU, but the year before his arrival saw MSU’s NCAA run end in the first round via double-overtime loss to Lipscomb in Starkville.
MSU will need to continue its hot postseason form from the SEC Tournament, which has included the scoring of great goals to break teams open.
Score from far
The other type of football team at MSU coined a phrase that works well for Zimmerman’s group as well: “Score from far.”
The Bulldogs have developed a habit for firing and scoring goals from the edge and beyond the 18-yard box, including three of the four goals scored at the SEC Tournament last week.
“I call it a ‘tasty treat,’ and I was trying to get it viral,” Zimmerman said with a laugh, referring to his appearance on SEC Network to discuss his team’s golazos. “They said ‘How about that tasty treat?’ I said there were two of them, and we’re going to keep going into that bag until the bag of tasty treats is empty.”
Tatum Borman, Rebeka Vega-Peleka and Ally Perry all hit on shots from distance during the run to the SEC semi-finals, and it’s a credit to their own ability as shooters as well as the space the attacking play creates for such efforts.
“We felt that how we played in Pensacola, the way we were creating chances and being multidimensional to get it into the two-front setting, getting it into the channels with cutbacks, shooting from distance and dribbling penetration,” Zimmerman said. “When you have that, and players that have the ability to hit from distance, it creates problems for the other team.”
The team’s preference for possession often leads to spells of attack where MSU is possessing along the perimeter against a defense that is packing in to close passing lanes towards goal. It’s similar to basketball when guards are screening for a way into the paint, but with twice as many moving pieces.
For one, a team gets to challenge on the perimeter without surrendering defensive pieces in the box, which is difficult for the attacking team to break down and demands more creativity to manipulate and create space.
One area where the Bulldogs excel is in opening space for shots from distance and creating second-chance opportunities. If defenders don’t close down space outside the box, they have the players to execute from distance.
“Honestly, I didn’t know I was going to shoot until I looked up and saw no one was pressing me,” Borman said of her goal against Oklahoma. “I haven’t really shot much cutting in with my left because I’ve been playing on the left the whole season, but it was good to see I could do it on that side, too.”
Home
MSU’s tournament opener is the last chance for fans to see the Bulldogs in Starkville this season, and it’s a big boost for the team that has had just two home games in its last eight matches.
After a difficult end to the regular season, including losses to Vanderbilt and Georgia at home, the team is looking to continue its good run of postseason form in front of the fans that have helped make Starkville a soccer stronghold in recent years.
“I think for us it’s about continuing to play our soccer,” sophomore Kara Harris said. “Stay together. I think being able to host is huge because our fanbase is who we are, and their support really is what creates the atmosphere. That will give us a big boost as well.”
“It’s awesome,” Zimmerman said of the chance to play at home again. “We have the best fans in the country. The support that we’ve had all season long. We need them out in bunches this weekend. It should be good weather, so bring a friend, bring a bell, bring anything. We need you, and we can’t wait to have one more go in front of you.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
