STARKVILLE — The No. 3 ranked Mississippi State soccer team won its final home game of the regular season on Thursday, completing a historic run in front of a record home crowd. Kentucky was the latest team to get shut out by the Bulldogs, who have only allowed three goals all season and took another step toward claiming the Southeastern Conference crown.
MSU won, 1-0, against the Wildcats, doing so without suspended midfield leader Macey Hodge, and losing Ilana Izquierdo just before halftime as well. Freshman forward Kennedy Husbands’ goal made the difference, catching the end of a cross whipped in by Chelsea Wagner.
The two aren’t normally featured so prominently, but with a pair of key starters missing it was fitting that two substitutes, or “game-changers,” as head coach James Armstrong calls them, made the game-changing impact.
“They weren’t going to give us anything, particularly on the defensive side. I don’t know how many shots they cleared tonight,” Armstrong said of Kentucky. “They’re physical, and we put some good balls in but just didn’t get that clear look. The goal was perhaps a little bit fortunate, but that’s what happens when you follow things up.”
The Bulldogs (14-1, 8-0 SEC) won all 10 of their regular season home matches, scoring 22 times while allowing no goals. The win over the Wildcats wasn’t comfortable for MSU, but it once again showed that they can lean on their defensive prowess when things aren’t always falling their way.
Armstrong credited the support from the record-setting crowd for their role in the win, pairing cowbells and cheers with a pep band as the team played in front of a deserved raucous atmosphere. The Bulldogs set another attendance record – 2,867 on Thursday – marking the third straight home game to smash the previous high-water mark.
“Honestly, it was not just a total team effort, it was a total Mississippi State effort,” he said. “Without the crowd, I don’t think that we get the result that we did. We needed each and every person that came here tonight. The (fans) were unbelievable and the band was great, everyone was ringing their cowbells and it was a soccer crowd. The fans pushed us through to the finish line.”
Despite the emotion of the occasion, there is still work to do.
With Arkansas held to a 0-0 draw on Thursday, the Bulldogs just need a win on Sunday at Texas A&M to lock up the SEC title, though there is still a chance to win with the make-up game at South Carolina if needed.
“Right now if you’d told me that at the start of the season, I’d have taken it,” Armstrong said. “We’re close but want to ensure we get to the finish line. That’s going to be the focus, two really good opponents we have to play away from home. Arkansas have to play away as well. Right now, we haven’t won anything, but we’re close and we’ll continue to work hard. If we do that hopefully we get the results we need.”
Armstrong’s side will have Hodge back for Sunday, but there are questions now surrounding Izquierdo’s fitness. She warmed up but didn’t return to the game in the second half after what appeared to be an ankle injury.
Players have come in and out of the squad throughout the year, with 2023 top soccer Maggie Wadsworth returning from a lengthy injury but forward Alivia Buxton out for the foreseeable future. For Armstrong, this win was about the team’s “trust” in each other, calling it a “total team win.” Players have had to step up and Armstrong saw just that from the freshman scorer on Thursday.
“She’s dedicated to her craft,” he said of Husbands. “She came in fit, she has a great mentality and that’s a big thing for a freshman to come into a successful team with tons of experience.”
Husbands, a Texas native, will play in front of her family for the first time since joining the Bulldogs. She has played a role in MSU’s already unprecedented season and hopes to make it all the more memorable on her homecoming.
“It’s incredible,” Husbands said of the team’s season. “I didn’t think we were going to get like this this year, but it’s really cool to see how we’re progressing and just keep on going from here.”
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