STARKVILLE — Mississippi State soccer’s historic 2024 season came to an end on Sunday. The Bulldogs (19-3) lost for the first time at home in 2024 in a 2-0 defeat to Notre Dame in the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen.
“They were the best team we’ve played all year by a considerable distance,” MSU head coach James Armstrong said of the Irish.
Armstrong spoke to the media alongside seniors Macey Hodge and Maddy Anderson in an emotional post-game press conference, reflecting on the historic year that put MSU soccer on the map.
“Obviously it’s a really tough time right now, we’ve got a really upset locker room, but there’s so much to be proud of,” he said. “Not only tonight but the whole season. When these girls get a chance to sit back and reflect, particularly the seniors and these young ladies next to me, on just the monumental impact they’ve had on this program. What they’ve done has changed this program forever and it’s our responsibility to make sure we keep it going.”
Armstrong’s side won the first Southeastern Conference championship in program history this season, completing a perfect 10-0 regular season campaign which included a 1-0 win over no. 1 ranked Arkansas.
The program set several attendance records, capped by a crowd of 4,022 in the Round of 32 win over Washington on Friday, and hosted 3,772 fans in the Sunday loss to the Irish.
“It’s been a blessing, just looking back from our first year to now I never would have thought we’d be SEC Champs, go 10-0 and get to the Sweet Sixteen for a second year in a row,” Anderson said. “It’s amazing to watch the growth of this team as a whole, the growth in the program and the growth around soccer in Starkville. I’m so thankful I got to be a part of it.”
Hodge and Anderson were freshmen in 2020, part of the first class recruited by Armstrong, and played considerable roles in a seismic transformation of the program’s identity and culture. To them, this season was a manifestation of a team spirit and identity that has evolved into something special.
“It’s amazing to have been a part of,” Hodge said. “What’s even more special is the locker room, the connections made. You can see culture-wise, from the first year to now, the sisterhood that’s been created over the past five years. I truly think that translates to what we did this year, there is a true love and belief in one another in the locker room.”
The 2024 Bulldogs squad featured 11 seniors and graduates, talent and experience that achieved unprecedented success, but their hope is that this is only the start of what is possible for MSU soccer.
“I think we’ve set the standard and every year it’s gone higher and higher,” Hodge said. “I think the younger girls know what is expected of them and they’re going to take what we’ve done and alter it in their own way, and I’m sure they’re going to keep it trending in the right direction. We’re excited to support them moving forward and we’ll always be Mississippi State fans until we die.”
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