STARKVILLE — Mississippi State soccer is back in the national conversation after a very short “wait and see” period. First-year head coach Nick Zimmerman has guided a young team to two Top-10 wins, including an upset of No. 1 Tennessee, and an unbeaten start to SEC play.
While the Bulldogs retained the services of top goalscorer Ally Perry, the team had to replace nine starters from the 2024 SEC regular season championship team. Among those were the midfield duo of Macey Hodge and Ilana Izquierdo, who both play professionally now.
Zimmerman has been able to reshape the team and midfield with a mix of returning talent and underclassmen, players who bring a diverse range of skills to the pitch and give the team flexibility. That has been on display since the start of SEC play, and has allowed MSU to make a strong start to their SEC title defense.
The Bulldogs have set up with a diamond-slash-box midfield that gives them versatility to stretch wide or overload central areas of the pitch.
It starts at the base with Alivia Buxton. She has played in both defense and midfield, and even forward positions in her career at MSU, but this season has settled into the No. 6 role.
“Bux has been tremendous,” Zimmerman said. “Absolutely tremendous. The way she’s going about intentionality of learning, watching film and understanding the concepts we’re asking of her. Tonight was another one where it felt like she was everywhere. This is what we see in training, and really proud of her because she’s continuing to take that next step in growing.”
This position is similar to where Macey Hodge played for the Bulldogs, sitting deep ahead of the defense to help break down opposition attacks and cut passing lanes. On the ball, the player forms the base of possession, dribbling the ball forward and helping to retain possession by closing down on clearances and rebounded shots.
“It was an up-and-down journey, but I think being able to learn from the people in the past, and even last spring, I feel like I grew so much as an individual,” Buxton said. “I have a lot of learning moments from game to game, but I feel now I’m becoming more confident on the field and being able to make bigger plays.”
Buxton credited her teammates for her performances and cited the versatility around her for the success of the unit. The strength in depth comes partly from the advanced level of freshmen like Adia Symmonds, Laila Murillo and Tatum Borman, and returning sophomores Kara Harris and Kennedy Husbands.
“Our midfield is extremely strong,” she said. “All of us bring something different. Maybe someone comes in for me, not doing exactly what I do, but they bring something else that is something we need. I think no matter how old you are on this team, we’re all leading each other. We can all help each other, we’re all there for each other if someone’s down.”
Against Texas, Murillo showed her ability to crash the box and attack crosses to score goals. She bagged a brace in her return to her home state.
Despite her youthfulness, Buxton called Murillo the strongest player on the team. It allows her to hold off defenders and fight through tackles, something she demonstrated on one of the goals against the Longhorns. She arrived to the ball at the same time as a defender and still powered the shot into the net.
“Laila is someone I saw late in the recruiting process, and she’s just a little different,” Zimmerman said of the freshman. “Her movement off the ball is really good, but she’s strong, she’s powerful. She can spin you, she can shoot from distance, and it’s cool to see her grow with confidence. She’s someone that’s important for us as we go forward, so really happy for her.”
The Bulldog midfield is assembled by a variety of skillsets, but it’s all part of what has helped build the program into what it is. The coaches have identified players who can play multiple roles, and above all, want to be coached, and the team has been better for it.
“When we look at players, it’s not to fit one role or position,” Zimmerman said. “We like to morph into different looks depending on each game, and it’s a testament to all of our midfielders and all of our players that we have on the field… That’s important to us as we go through the process, but also, the player development is massive here. We continue to develop players, and I think that’s something that speaks volumes to the players that we’ve had over the last couple of years, and the players that you’re seeing more and more of, how they’ve continued to get better each year.”
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