STARKVILLE – Mississippi State soccer advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 7-0 win against Southern University in Starkville on Saturday. Seven different Bulldogs got on the scoresheet in front of 3,461 fans, taking down the Southwestern Athletic Conference champions in dominant fashion.
“I thought the girls did a great job of executing in the final third,” MSU head coach James Armstrong said of the performance. “We limited them to a few chances, our game changers did a good job coming in and giving rest to players who probably needed some rest after a long season and a tough ending to the schedule. I couldn’t be proud of the girls or the fans, this was a great night for Mississippi State as a whole and obviously our program. I’m looking forward to playing Washington next Friday.”
The Bulldogs (18-2) swarmed Southern’s defense early on, scoring three goals in the first half-hour. Maggie Wadsworth got things rolling in the ninth minute, finishing a move started by Kennedy Husbands’ cross in towards Aitana Martinez-Montoya. The Madrilena laid the ball down perfectly for Wadsworth to finish and get MSU on the board early.
Defender Price Loposer and Aitana Martinez-Montoya added set-piece goals before the half, coming from a corner kick and penalty respectively, to secure a 3-0 halftime advantage.
Southern’s defense presented some problems in the first half but couldn’t wrestle any meaningful possession away from the Bulldogs. A week of rest seemed to serve MSU well after a long season and congested fixture list over the end of the regular season and the Southeastern Conference tournament. The energy only spread as the goals began to go in and it showed coming out of the break.
The second half began with a flurry, with MSU adding three goals to its lead in the first ten minutes. Hannah Johnson, Ally Perry and Zoe Main each tried to outdo the other on long-range efforts to find the back of the net three times between the 49th minute and the 55th minute. Kara Harris added a seventh goal to complete the scoring and wrap up the team’s most prolific performance of the season.
The Bulldogs will play again on Friday as they host a Starkville Regional featuring next opponents Washington as well as Kentucky and Notre Dame. Armstrong and the players expressed their pride in the response from fans showing up for the postseason game, as well as their desire to see more of them same in the next round.
“I don’t know officially, but I think that’s got to be one of the biggest attendances for a first round game in NCAA Tournament history, maybe even the first,” Armstrong said. “Just think about that for a second, here in Starkville, Mississippi. An unbelievable community to come out and say we’re here and we’re supporting this team, these ladies, and when you’re going around and looking it’s a mixture of people. You’ve got young children, Hail State paint squad, Greek life, the young professionals, academics, it’s just such a cool environment.”
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