FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It was a solemn mood on the field once the final whistle sounded for Mississippi State in its second-round NCAA tournament game against Memphis.
Facing frigid conditions and snow flurries, the Bulldogs looked to extend their season another round against the Tigers.
Memphis, coming off a surprise first-round upset of Saint Louis, was looking to play spoiler once again, and spoiler it was.
Positive momentum that began with an American Athletic Conference title run continued in a big way on Friday as the Tigers sent MSU home packing as the Bulldogs’ history-making season ended in a 4-0 defeat.
Like how Mississippi State (12-6-4) was able to dominate most if not all facets of last Friday’s game against New Mexico State, MSU was dominated by the Tigers on Friday.
Memphis outshot MSU 16-9 and had 10 shots on goal to the Bulldogs’ four in the match, controlling possession for large portions of the match.
That possession control led to the opening goal of the match, a fantastic free kick put in the bottom left corner past the outstretched arms of Mississippi State goalkeeper Maddy Anderson in the 24th minute.
Even with possession very much in Memphis’s favor, MSU had its chances but wasn’t able to convert.
They faced a stout Tigers defense that did a fantastic job at clearing any ball in the 18-yard box and surrounding area.
Down just 1-0 at the half, the game was still very much up for grabs, but it didn’t take long for Memphis to put a nail in the coffin of Mississippi State’s season.
The Tigers went on to score three times in the second half, including two in a near seven-minute span.
They kept the pressure on and MSU wasn’t able to mount any significant momentum to get back into the match.
MSU had two corners in the second half, but neither resulted in a fantastic scoring chance as Memphis goalkeeper Claire Wyville stopped all four shots on goal for the Bulldogs.
Mississippi State will now go back to the drawing board for the 2023 season, but not before a historic year that culminated in the program’s first Southeastern Conference tournament and NCAA tournament victories.
Friday undoubtedly left a sour state in the mouths of the Bulldogs, but that feeling will almost assuredly be used as fuel for a hopeful repeat next season.
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