By Tanner Marlar
The Mississippi State women’s soccer team handled Southern University 7-0 on Saturday night to advance to the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament in complete domination of the Jaguars.
All seven Bulldog goals came off the feet of a different player, while goalie Maddy Anderson and Katelyn Carroll’s efforts combined into yet another shutout victory for the regular season SEC Champions.
Mississippi State’s first goal came just eight minutes into the contest when Maggie Wadsworth found paydirt on an assist from Aitana Martinez-Montoya and Kennedy Husbands, and the Bulldogs didn’t look back from there. The offensive explosion marked the most points MIssissippi State had scored in a match so far throughout the entire 2024 season, Mississippi State head coach James Armstrong spoke to media following the team’s win.
“The defense has been unbelievable throughout this season,” said Armstrong. “And it’s not just the goal keeper and the back three, although they do an incredible job. We like to press from the front, so our attacking players have got a shift to do on the defensive side of the ball as well, so it’s a total team effort, just like our backs and goal keeper have to be good in distribution to mount attacks.”
Not only did Mississippi State crush its first round opponent, but the Bulldog faithful showed up in droves as well. 3,461 fans attended the first round matchup – a number good enough for the largest crowd in Mississippi State soccer history, and the highest attendance number recorded for any first round NCAA matchup across the entire country.
“I don’t know officially, but I think that’s got to be one of the biggest attendances for a first round game in NCAA tournament history,” said Armstrong. “Maybe even the first…Just think about that for a second. Here in Starkville, Mississippi, an unbelievable community, to come out and just say ‘we’re here, and we’re supporting this team, these ladies,’ and when you’re going around and looking, it’s just a mixture of people…It’s just such a cool environment, and I honestly think it’s unique.”
With round one taken care of, the Bulldogs turn their heads towards Washington in round two. The good news is that Mississippi State will host the Huskies on Friday. The bad? Washington stood fairly tall throughout its Big 10 schedule. The Huskies are no Southern, and will prove to be a taller task for Mississippi State than its previous opponent.
“We watched [Washington] yesterday as a staff,” said Armstrong. “They played at 3 o’clock central time, so we got to watch that game. Obviously they did a really good job of neutralizing one of the most potent offenses in the country in Utah State at Utah State, so obviously the travel will have taken a bit of a toll on them, but they came through with flying colors. [Washington is] one of the best defensive teams in the country.”
Assuming Mississippi State wins that matchup, the Bulldogs will take on the winner of Notre Dame/Kentucky.
State boasts its own staunch defense, which sets up a juggernaut matchup in Starkville on Friday night. A start time has yet to be announced.
