STARKVILLE — It all happened in an instant in the first period of extra time during Saturday afternoon’s first round NCAA Tournament match between Mississippi State and Providence.
A botched clearance from the Friars in the box left sophomore forward Maggie Wadsworth in a one-on-one situation with goalkeeper Katherine McElroy.
Wadsworth put it past McElroy for what ended up being the game-winning goal, but the entire moment was a blur for her.
“I’m feeling pretty excited, pretty proud of everyone,” Wadsworth said. “… As for the goal, I’m not even going to lie, I don’t remember much. It kind of just happened. I was taking a little two-second breather on the ground afterwards. I was just relieved, ready to get on with that second half of overtime.”
Sprawled out on the ground, Wadsworth looked a bit shaken up, but got up without an issue, and her goal sent nearly 1,100 Bulldog supporters into a frenzy as Mississippi State advanced on with a 1-0, double-overtime victory.
“I thought Providence was an unbelievable team,” head coach James Armstrong said. “They were everything we thought they were going to be. It was one of the best soccer teams we’ve played all year. … It took everything we had today to get the result that we wanted, and we got the goal that we wanted.”
The Bulldogs (11-5-5) dominated possession for much of Saturday’s match but weren’t able exert much offensive pressure as both teams very much felt each other out through the first 45 minutes of play.
No one had a clear edge in the first half, but in the second half, Mississippi State turned on another gear, registering five shots on net and nine shots overall, turning on the pressure when it needed to be.
A stingy Providence defense, however, helped keep the match scoreless into extra time, when Wadsworth put the Bulldogs in front for good with her fifth goal of the season.
“I don’t know where to rank them in terms of opponents we’ve faced this season, but they’re definitely high up,” goalkeeper Maddy Anderson said. “They were really good at moving the ball, keeping possession, but also having a strong attack. It didn’t seem like they got tired at all. … Thankful that we pulled out the win.”
It was another program-defining victory in a season of record-setting achievements. The win over Providence marked just the second NCAA Tournament win in MSU history and the first time MSU has notched tournament wins in back-to-back seasons.
The Bulldogs drew a program record 10,000-plus fans to the MSU Soccer Field, and the 1,100 in attendance Saturday made all the difference in ensuring a trip to Palo Alto for the Round of 32.
“We wanted a big crowd and we got a big crowd,” Armstrong said. “The best part of it was they stayed for the entire game. That was the loudest game that I’ve had here. It’s awesome. It does 100 percent make the difference.”
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