STARKVILLE — Mississippi State center back Naila Schoefberger had one goal involvement left in her as the clock wound down against Jacksonville State on Thursday.
The defender had already flicked on an assist for teammate Hannah Jibril and scored a goal of her own on a corner kick when she spotted Zoe Main darting forward, anticipating a pass from deep. Schoefberger sent the ball over the top and into the path of the striker, who held off a defender before planting a vicious shot past the goalkeeper.
“It’s a rare occasion for me as a center back, so obviously it felt good,” Schoefberger said of her one goal, two assist performance.
The goal for Main came with just five minutes remaining and was the forward’s third opportunity of the day. Twice she was denied, either by a defender or the goalkeeper, but she finally got through and outmuscled her marker this time around.
“It felt good to finally hit the back of the net,” she said after the game. “I felt like I kept being one touch off or one run off. It was the whole play, end ball, final run, everything about it. It was good to finally connect in the final third.”
The Bulldogs won 3-0 to begin the 2025 regular season on the right foot with the first win of head coach Nick Zimmerman’s tenure.
“Jacksonville State did a really good job,” Zimmerman said. “We had chances in the first half, and sometimes it takes a bit longer. Again, we talked about the performance being the most important thing, and results will come if we’re doing the right things.”
The Conference USA opponent made life difficult in the first half, holding MSU scoreless after 45 minutes, but the Bulldogs dominated possession and created opportunities from set pieces to get rolling early in the second half.
“We told the girls at the half to continue doing what you’re doing,” Zimmerman added. “I think we could have upgraded our chances a bit more, we took some half-chances in the first half. If we make the extra pass, it’s a better look, but proud of the group. They continue to fight, and that’s part of a young group, finding these moments and continuing to navigate through them.”
The slow start was understandable given the Bulldogs are behind schedule, having canceled their game against UT Martin last week. It gave them an opportunity to test themselves against a team defending deep, and the Bulldogs showcased depth at the forward position to keep running at the opposition throughout the match. It’s a credit to the team’s tactical approach as well to both take advantage of set pieces drawn up by assistant coach Kat Stratton and play directly against a tiring opponent in the final stages of the match.
“I think the way the system is, there’s multiple people that can hurt you, and multiple players are going to get plenty of opportunities to score goals,” Zimmerman said. “I mean we had three in the last minute and a half that could have went in. Again, it’s just a testament to the system and the trust in what we’re trying to do from an organizational standpoint. It’s great to see Ally continuing to do what she does and others, you know, help the team get results.”
The minutes were vital for the first teamers as they look to get into a groove before the schedule heats up on Sunday. The Bulldogs host No. 10 Wake Forest, last year’s national finalists and the only team to hand them a regular-season defeat.
“We know we have a really good opponent coming in on Sunday,” Zimmerman said. “We’ll look at the film, make sure we’re doing everything we can to recover and be ready for it.”
The game against Wake Forest will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the MSU Soccer Field and will air on SEC Network.
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