STARKVILLE — Mississippi State soccer is shifting gears with the regular season under a week away.
Head coach Nick Zimmerman says his team is off to a strong start in terms of their approach, and that was reflected in a thorough win against Mercer in an exhibition game last weekend.
“It’s always good to get out and play against someone new,” he said. “We’ve been training together for four or five days, and put a lot of work into it. The girls’ attitude and effort has been incredible, the way they’ve handled the professional side of it.”
The Bulldogs are using the early part of the season to evaluate the new lineup, which features several new starters who were role players a year ago or transfers, and even some who saw little to no action for MSU in 2024. As far as the work ethic goes, Zimmerman likes what he sees from the competition for playing time and chemistry-building. He also said he likes the “intentionality” with both tactics and teambuilding off the field. The squad is smaller than it was a year ago, but it also has several positions up for grabs after graduating nine starters from the 2024 group, and many players are getting their shot in exhibition games.
“That’s how you continue to grow,” Zimmerman said of the smaller roster. “We preach player development here and there’s no better way than to actually get players minutes in meaningful games.”
One important positional competition is between the posts, with three goalkeepers working to earn the starting job. The candidates for the job are Jenny Harrison, a junior transfer from Quebec, Canada, Sarah Wommack, a sophomore transfer from Appalachian State and true freshman Graycen Ehlen.
“I think they all have different strengths and some things they need to continue to work on,” Zimmerman said of the goalkeepers. “Every single day in training is an opportunity for them to grow. Right now, we’re trying to give them as many reps and then as we get into games, kind of the same exact mindset. We want to see who is going to really take it. I think all of them have unique qualities that we’re looking for, with the style of play that we want, but also the present side of it is that calmness that we’ve had in the past.”
Zimmerman spoke to the Dispatch in April after the conclusion of spring exhibition games and noted the importance of having Kat Stratton stay on staff as an assistant coach to work with the new goalkeeper group. He again complimented her work this week, as Stratton is helping the trio improve their game and make an immediate impact.
“They’ve been working really hard,” he said. “Coach Kat has done a great job with them, and it’s good to see them all continue to grow and develop in their own element.”
Stratton has been with the Bulldogs since 2020, joining as a volunteer assistant and being elevated to a full-time coach in 2023. While coaching the position, she played an important part in the development of the 2024 SEC Goalkeeper of the Year and All-American Maddy Anderson.
The continuity is helping with the process of not only finding a new No. 1, but piecing together a new defense, something junior transfer Hannah Jibril talked about at a media session this week.
“We’ve acknowledged the success that everyone had last year of course, like defensively with Rylie Combs and Alexis, but I think every day we just try to give it our best, whatever we can do on the field,” she said. “We practice, and like any defense across the country, you just do what you can, you know, stop goals.”
Jibril made 16 appearances for NC State last year, going up against some of the toughest teams in the country in ACC conference play. She’s had to get up to speed as a new member of the team, but the process is one she’s enjoyed, and not just for building the defense.
“It’s been good,” she added. “We had time before all together, getting to know each other off the field, which is just as important as the time on the field. I feel like in practice it’s like, what does this girl like to do? What move is she gonna play? Things like that, and reading body language, which that’s just natural when it comes to having new players. It’s been awesome, it’s a new challenge, and I feel like it gives everyone opportunities to grow.”
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