STARKVILLE — Mississippi State soccer added another win to an already historic season on Friday, defeating Washington 1-0 in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32.
The Bulldogs, now 19-2 on the season, kept their perfect defensive record at home alive with another shutout, and freshman forward Zoe Main sent a record crowd of 4,022 into celebration with a fast-break goal in the 72nd minute.
“The girls did what they did all season, found a way in front of an unreal crowd,” MSU head coach James Armstrong said after the game. “Over 4,000 people ringing their cowbells, and that’s what made the difference. We talked about it before, I’m sure the girls will mention it, but an incredible atmosphere on an unbelievable night against a great opponent.”
Washington (10-7-4) finishes the season with the eighth-best defense in goals against average in the country. The Huskies failed to score in each of their last four games but registered upsets in the Big Ten tournament and NCAA Tournament thanks to a gritty approach that gave the Bulldogs fits.
In the opening half hour, the Bulldogs struggled to consistently hold possession or create chances, and it was the Huskies who had the better looks at goal until late in the first half. MSU’s midfield settled in and found strength in wide areas, with Kennedy Husbands and Chelsea Wagner exploiting space on the wings and firing in crosses.
“We said we needed to be better in wide areas and change the point of attack more,” Armstrong noted of their halftime adjustments. “When you’re playing in front of 4,000 people you know what’s on the line and I think we came out a little flat, a little nervous, and it took some time to get into the game. They were physical and once we matched their physicality, settled on the ball, got into wide areas and made better service from those areas we were better because of it.”
Armstrong emphasized the physicality of the Huskies and how his team had to match it to win balls in midfield and in the air, and there was a notable difference as the game went on that the Bulldogs were more than a match for playing physical late into the match. As the second half wore on they stretched the field and created chances by running at the Huskies’ defense, and they were finally rewarded with a goal for those efforts.
Hannah Johnson, who leads the team in assists this season, added another to her tally with a beautiful ball over the top as the Bulldogs transitioned from attack to defense. Main was a step ahead of the defense, literally and figuratively. She raced away onto the ball and calmly slotted a shot past the goalkeeper.
“Honestly we train that a lot, so doing it over and over you get used to it,” Johnson said of the pass. “That’s all it is, I see Zoe and Aitana running over and I’ll play that ball 100 times.”
“Honestly when I looked back and I saw the space, I knew if Hannah played it it would be up to me passing it in,” Main added, reflecting on the goal. “When it went in it was so exciting, it was a great moment with all the fans and everything. I couldn’t do it without them.”
The Bulldogs have little time to celebrate before they play again on Sunday against Notre Dame. The Irish won 3-1 against Kentucky earlier in the day at the Starkville Regional, setting up a Round of 16 date with the hosts at 5 p.m.
“Fantastic team, really dangerous going forward, deep, and scored two early goals today and rested some players,” Armstrong said of Notre Dame. “Every team is really good at this moment in time, and a three-time national champion, how awesome is it to be hosting a team like that on our home field in Starkville, Mississippi, in front of hopefully another awesome crowd.”
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