STARKVILLE — Mississippi State women’s soccer returns to action today as the Nick Zimmerman era officially gets underway.
The veteran assistant ascended to the head coach’s chair after the departure of James Armstrong for Auburn, and he has another talented group to work with despite graduating most of the starting 11 from the side that won the SEC regular season crown in 2024.
Six Bulldogs were named to the SEC Preseason Watchlist, including Ally Perry and Adia Symmonds, who also earned national watchlist recognition from TopDrawerSoccer.
Forward Zoe Main, midfielders Alivia Buxton and Laila Murillo, and defender Hannah Jibril rounded out the group of preseason honorees on the SEC watchlist.
Perry returns as the team’s leading goalscorer a year ago, stepping into a new role as team captain alongside Main. She turned down an offer to play professionally with Italian club Juventus to stay another year and continue evolving as a player and a leader.
Perry was named a Midfielder to Watch by United Soccer Coaches last week, one of just five SEC players recognized, and is a First Team selection in TopDrawerSoccer’s Preseason Best XI, ranked as the No. 10 overall player in the country by the national outlet.
Perry was a First Team All-SEC selection in 2024 after scoring 10 goals, including five game-winners.
Symmonds, a true freshman, was named to the TopDrawerSoccer Freshman Preseason Best XI. She previously trained with the U-21 side at Arsenal, one of the biggest clubs in Europe. She joined MSU as an early enrollee in January after finishing an impressive high school career at Sunlake in Florida, where she tallied 45 goals and 37 assists over three years. She joined Main at the U.S. Soccer Women’s College ID Camp this summer despite only playing in spring exhibitions as a college player, and is a former Olympic Development Program National Camp attendee.
Campaign kickoff
The Bulldogs kick off their new season against UT Martin in the home opener tonight at the MSU Soccer Field.
The team played four exhibition matches in the spring and one at home this month, but they were rained out in the closing minutes of their final exhibition test at Louisiana Monroe last weekend.
There is still plenty to look out for. Zimmerman stated last week that all three goalkeepers are still battling for playing time, and he expects that to continue through the nonconference matchups over the next month.
The defense and midfield will also look different after losing key seniors last year, and the team won’t have too much time before the fixture list heats up.
After matches against UT Martin and Jacksonville State, the Bulldogs host No. 10 Wake Forest, the national finalists a year ago, in a highly anticipated home game. After that, the Bulldogs travel to face Big 12 teams Baylor and No. 22 Oklahoma State.
The Bulldogs’ season opener kicks off today at 6:30 p.m. at the MSU Soccer Field. The match is open to the public. Coverage of the match will stream on SECN+.
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