STARKVILLE — Mississippi State soccer jumped to No. 9 in the United Soccer Coaches’ rankings after the win over then-No. 11 Texas. 

The Bulldogs have been making waves in 2024, boasting an 8-1 record through nine games. 

The team’s defensive numbers rank among the best in the country, with only two goals allowed all season, both coming in the loss at Wake Forest. The team has eight shutouts through nine games for the first time in program history, the second-best shutout percentage in the country this season and goalkeeper Maddy Anderson has a save percentage of .917 on shots faced. 

The team’s goals-against average per game is 0.22%, the second-best in Division I soccer. 

The success is built on organization and team defense, making them extremely difficult to play against. 

So how did the defense get so good?

Defensive structure

For one, head coach James Armstrong has implemented a counter-pressing to his team’s defensive setup, which is evident in MSU’s game this season.

Counter-pressing is a defensive tactic that involves pressuring the opposition after losing the ball. This typically occurs further up the pitch than normal defending and requires a high level of tactical synchronicity across the team. 

“The thing we’ve been working on the most is counter-pressing,” Armstrong said after MSU’s win over Baylor in August. “It’s one of our keys to the game, can we win the ball high up the field? Because we’ve got some really special attacking players, so if we can win it closer to their goal special things can happen. Some of the ones we missed today also came from counter-pressing.”

This tactical approach helps defensively in a couple of ways. First, a successful counter-press keeps the ball away from the defense. Second, it disrupts the opponent and their ability to push the ball downfield on their terms. 

Texas was held to just seven shots all game, two on goal, with the majority of chances coming near the end of the game. The counter-press from MSU’s midfield and forwards helped to disrupt play, and when the Longhorns did venture forward, the Bulldogs were set in shape and ready to defend the transition. Simply put, the defensive prowess from the front allows the team time to get organized at the back. It allows players like Rylie Combs and Ruthny Mathurin to recover and organize while the wide-backs get back to defend. 

Organization and veteran value

One of the biggest reasons MSU are as good as they are is this team is constantly in motion and operating in synchronicity. Pressing requires understanding and this team has players who understand each other through years of experience and chemistry. 

It starts up front when the team is out of possession, but that attention goes all the way back to the goalkeeper when observing play and staying in the game whether the ball comes her way or not. 

“It feels pretty darn good,” Anderson said of the defensive performance against Texas. Though she didn’t have to make a ton of saves, she had to coordinate the defensive organization and organize on set pieces, of which the Longhorns had six.  

“It’s hard (staying focused) but in games like this where they’re constantly going I’m already engaged,” she said of staying involved without having to make saves. “(Opponents) are always on it or I need to do something so they don’t find an easy shot or way through. When I saw play open up I knew I couldn’t let it slip. I have to stay locked in the whole time.”

Armstrong adjusted mid-game against Texas, switching to a back four to account for Texas’ creative players on the wings and in midfield. The change of shape did not impede MSU’s performance and the Bulldogs stayed compact defensively. The midfield partnership of Ilana Izquierdo and Macey Hodge along with the wide-backs of Alexis Gutierrez and Price Loposer shut down some of the most effective attackers in the game. 

“They have some great players,” Anderson said of Texas’ midfield. “Lexi Missimo is one of the best midfielders in the country, so to shut them down is just a credit to what they bring to our team.”

That understanding in the face of talented opposition, even as the team changed its alignment midgame, is a credit to the team as a whole. 

Up next

MSU’s Thursday game at No. 23 South Carolina was moved to 11 a.m. due to the impending weather expected from Tropical Storm Helene. It changed travel plans for the Bulldogs, but it hasn’t changed the approach. They have a target after such a big win, and they’re not ready to let the momentum slip. 

“We’ve got to make sure we get better, each and every day. We do have to get better, there were things tonight we have to look at and improve on before we go on the road to South Carolina,” Armstrong said. “They’re a really good team and for us it’s about controlling the controllables, what we have to do to keep this momentum going into another tough week.”