It’s a bye week for football fans, which means your attitude may have shifted from depression, to resignation, to … relief. A week off will do us all some good.
But the news isn’t all bad on campus. In case you haven’t heard, Mississippi State fields a top-10 team this fall. They play on grass, with a ball, and boast a defense that completely wrecks opponents’ offensive game plans. They play hard but are disciplined. They’re led by a veteran quarterback of sorts and an energetic outsider of a coach who found success as an assistant at another SEC program before landing his first head coaching gig in Starkville. And this squad doesn’t have any problems with tackling.
I’m not talking about MSU football, of course. I’m talking about MSU futbol. You know, soccer. The world’s most popular sport. The one your grandkids are crazy about.
Like many of you, I’m a late arrival to soccer. Sure, I’d watch the World Cup and the Olympics and wonder what made the U.S. women’s team so good and the men’s team so bad, but beyond those mega-events, I never cared. High-level soccer was something played in Europe or South America.
So, of course, it took a European – head coach James Armstrong is a native of Yorkshire, England – to show Mississippians like me just how beautiful the beautiful game can be.
What Armstrong and his staff have done at Mississippi State is nothing short of amazing. They transformed a moribund Bulldogs’ program – one with a .210 winning percentage since it began SEC play in 2006 – into one that hosted NCAA Tournament games in back-to-back seasons and earned a Sweet 16 appearance in 2023. MSU is currently ranked either No. 6 or No. 9, depending on which poll you prefer, both of which are by far the program’s highest ranking.
The team is led by a bevy of stars: redshirt junior Ally Perry, who’s scored six goals so far this season, graduate midfielder Macey Hodge, who patrols the pitch with ferocity and seniors Ilana Izquierdo and Aitana Martinez-Montoya, who are threats to score on every possession. But there is one player who embodies everything this MSU squad is about, and that’s graduate goalkeeper Maddie Anderson.
Anderson has posted a .971 save percentage this season while allowing just two goals. Through three SEC games, Anderson has made seven saves and has yet to allow a goal. The team’s goals-against average per game is 0.22%, the second-best in Division I soccer. Beyond the numbers, Anderson, a team captain, controls the game, makes adjustments and coordinates formations just like a good quarterback does in football.
The Bulldogs will host No. 1 (or 2, thanks, polls) Arkansas on Friday night at the MSU Soccer Field for what will surely be the biggest regular-season game in school history. The team drew almost 1,400 fans to its win over LSU on Sunday night, but for a Top-10 matchup like this weekend’s, I think they’ll blow that number out of the water. And if you’re one of those in attendance – admission is free and so is parking – you’re likely to see some winning “football” for a change. You can even bring your cowbell.
Philip Poe is sports editor.
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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.
