STARKVILLE — Not even two minutes into Thursday night’s match, disaster struck for Mississippi State.
Starting goalkeeper Maddy Anderson, having just set a new program record for most shutouts in a single season, went down after a collision in front of goal following a South Carolina cross.
While it looked like Anderson had the space, angle and time to cut off a through ball from the Gamecocks just in front of the top-right corner of the 18-yard box, she let it go, opting to defend a potential cross.
The junior was unable to put little if any pressure on her left leg as she was helped off the pitch, leaving the Bulldogs a bit out of sorts, trying to regroup as sophomore backup keeper Mac Titus came in.
Unfortunate timing hit MSU as South Carolina scored just a few minutes later, the lone goal in a 1-0 win for the Gamecocks, handing the Bulldogs their first loss of the season.
“We obviously had a disappointing occurrence at the beginning of the game, but I thought the girls responded really well from that,” head coach James Armstrong said. “Credit to South Carolina, they defended really well.”
Titus looked solid in goal for Mississippi State (9-1-3) and didn’t need to do much as the backline for the Bulldogs stepped up after conceding early, allowing just one shot the rest of the way.
Speaking of the goal, there was really nothing Titus or Mississippi State could do as South Carolina midfielder Claire Griffiths connected on one from outside the box, finding the top corner in a shot that no goalkeeper in the country could have saved.
Despite that, she was ready to come in and responded well to the challenge of facing such a tough side in the Gamecocks.
“When Maddy goes down, I know my role since the beginning of the season is to prepare for that worst-case scenario,” Titus said. “I just knew as soon as that happened I had to step up and do my thing.”
“We had a lapse in concentration there for a little bit after Maddy went down. We went into the locker room at half and came back out, settled down and we were ready to go.”
The story early on was the inability of Mississippi State to get shots on goal and chances in the box.
All three of its shots in the first half came from outside the box and weren’t close to goal as South Carolina’s backline stood tall and prevented the Bulldogs from penetrating it and getting into the box.
Armstrong’s halftime speech must have worked, because in the second half, Mississippi State was much more active on the ball, was able to control possession for longer periods of time and finally broke through with chances in the final 20 minutes or so of the match.
The Bulldogs got four shots off and started putting in cross after cross, even inducing three corner kicks late. Aided by a new program-record attendance of 1,613 fans on Thursday, momentum slowly shifted in their favor, but it shifted too late.
“They were really strong in the back and fast, so we adjusted to that as the game went on,” midfielder Alivia Buxton said. “We got our chances and as we went on, we got better and better. I think we just need to focus on our finishing touches and getting the ball in the back of the net.”
After finding that success in scoring goals to begin the Southeastern Conference schedule, the Bulldogs have been held scoreless through their last two matches.
Including the final few minutes of MSU’s 3-2 win over LSU, that scoreless streak currently sits at 186 minutes and 44 seconds.
The road doesn’t get easier for State moving forward, going on the road for its next two matches, beginning with a familiar foe in Auburn, Armstrong’s former team, on Sunday afternoon.
MSU had scored just four goals in its last nine matches against the Tigers, going 1-6-2 in that span.
It won’t be easy getting one in the back of the net against Auburn, but with the Bulldogs now facing recent adversity, they’ll be much more prepared for Sunday afternoon.
“I’m sure their confidence won’t take too much of a hit after tonight,” Armstrong said. “This is a good moment for us: the first loss of the season. It’s how we respond and how quickly we rebound and we have complete faith that this group will do this.”
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