STARKVILLE — Carly Mauldin tried to prepare herself.

There are plenty of pitfalls to encounter when you’re jumping from high school to Division I, so Mauldin wanted to be ready in case she didn’t see a lot of playing time.

Coming from West Jones High in Laurel, Mauldin hoped to get a jump-start on her career at Mississippi State by enrolling in school in January 2016. The move enabled her to get an early start on her studies and gave her the opportunity to work out with the women’s soccer team in the spring.

Still, Mauldin wasn’t sure what she was going to face.

“I told myself before I came here in the spring, ‘Be ready.’ I had to prepare myself because I didn’t think I was going to play as much as I wanted to,” Mauldin said. “I got here and it was a big shock. It was a good one.”

After preparing herself for the worst, Maudlin quickly made an impact, starting in all 18 games and logging 1,663 minutes as a defender in the team’s 5-10-3 campaign. Mauldin’s presence stabilized the back line and made an impression on MSU coach Aaron Gordon.

“Once she got in a couple of games, we realized she going to be able to make an impact,” Gordon said.

Gordon hopes Mauldin will play a similar role this season. After officially starting practice Wednesday, MSU will open the season at 6 p.m. Wednesday with an exhibition match against Memphis at the MSU Soccer Field. On Saturday, Aug. 13, MSU will travel to Iowa State for another exhibition game at 7 p.m. It will open the regular season at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19, at College of Charleston.

For Mauldin, this season will be a chance to solidify her place on the back line for a team that hopes to continue to climb the ladder in the Southeastern Conference. Last season, Mauldin played 110 minutes three times and went the full distance in all but one game. She also had 23 shots (nine on goal) and was voted “Newcomer of the Year” by her teammates.

Gordon hoped Mauldin could come in and perform at a high level, but he said Mauldin’s apprehension about her place on the team might have come from the fact she hadn’t faced a lot of competition from outside the state of Mississippi while she was in high school. As a result, Mauldin might have wondered how she stacked up against players from other parts of the country.

It turns out Mauldin’s concerns were unfounded.

“It really wasn’t a big mental change,” Mauldin said. “I worked for it, and I just have to continue to work for it and continue the hard work and good things will happen.”

Mauldin’s athleticism helped her make an impact. She started playing soccer at West Jones High in the seventh grade, earned six varsity letters, and played a key role in two Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A State championships and a district championship. She also earned letters as a standout on the track and field team, where she competed in the pole vault, 800 and 1,600 meters, and the 4×400 relay.

Mauldin said she learned a lot about herself playing in the SEC. She said she feels she proved she could play at the highest level in Division I. She added she will continue to use the fact that some people might have doubted her as motivation this season.

“I don’t think they really expected me to do as well as I did, which I think kind of shocked them,” Mauldin said. “Being so little (5-foot-5) compared to (players in) the SEC, I think I proved to them I am here to play and I want to play and I want to better the soccer program here.”

Mauldin worked on her dribbling in the offseason to accomplish that goal. She also stayed busy with conditioning so she could return to training camp ready to go. She said she will continue to play like someone who has a chip on her shoulder because she knows nothing is guaranteed and that she will have to work for everything.

Mauldin also knows more will be expected from her after she made her mark as a freshman.

“Coach is going to expect more from me because he knows what I am capable of doing, and he wants to push me to my limits,” Mauldin said. “That is good because it is going to make me a better player. Coaches giving me a chance to play helped. Every game helped me gain confidence to better myself.

“I am so competitive. I think that is what helps me. I don’t want to be beaten. I don’t want our team to be beaten. I want to be the best. I want our team to be the best.”

Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor

Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.