PENSACOLA, Fla. — Things were undoubtedly tense at Ashton Brosnaham Park in Pensacola, Florida, in the first round of the SEC tournament as Mississippi State and Texas A&M went to extra time.
The Bulldogs, making the tournament for the fifth time in program history, were looking for their first tournament win in program history in the process.
With just a minute remaining in the first extra time period, there was no telling who would come out on top, until Jojo Ngongo came into the picture.
A ball put into the box from the halfway line fell to freshman forward Maggie Wadsworth, who put a cross in front of goal, a perfectly placed ball for Ngongo to head in for the eventual game-winner in a 2-1 victory.
Ngongo has come up clutch for the Bulldogs (11-4-4) time and time again, but on Sunday, she had her biggest moment in a Mississippi State uniform, one that has sent State to the quarterfinals.
Gwen Mummert got the scoring started for the Bulldogs in the 38th minute, getting open on a cross in front of the box, being in the right place at the right time for a ball that after some mayhem in front of goal, went into the back of the net.
State would hold the lead for much of the remainder of the game until the 86th minute, when Texas A&M’s Mia Pante equalized to make it 1-1.
Up until that point, MSU keeper Mac Titus had put together a shutout-like performance, with that goal spoiling things.
However, no one on the Bulldogs let the goal put a damper on things, especially Titus, who finished with a career-high nine saves in the win.
She was as much of a rock in net as State could have asked for in a tense game with such important implications.
Wadsworth, named to the All-SEC Freshman Team on Sunday, and Juliet Moore, each had an assist on the afternoon.
The schedule immediately gets tougher for Mississippi State, who will take on No. 1 overall seed and regular season champions, Alabama, in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
Alabama and State previously played just 10 days ago, with the Crimson Tide going on a second-half surge to defeat the Bulldogs, 4-1, in Starkville.
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