Bulldogs Earn Valuable SEC Point In Draw Against Ole Miss On Sunday

Sunday, October 22

Starkville

4:00 PM

Mississippi State

8-4-4 (2-4-3SEC)

Ole Miss

10-4-3 (3-4-2SEC)

OT 3

OT 4

Ole Miss

Mississippi State

Bulldogs Earn Valuable SEC Point In Draw Against Ole Miss On Sunday

October 22, 2017 | Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Photo Gallery

STARKVILLE, Miss. – On a rain-soaked Sunday afternoon at the MSU Soccer Field, Mississippi State's Magnolia Cup match against in-state rival Ole Miss ended in a 1-1 draw.

The Bulldogs (8-4-4, 2-4-3 SEC) picked up their first point against the Rebels (10-4-3, 3-4-2) in the series since 2012.

MSU had plenty more dangerous chances than the Rebels, outshooting them 20-17 with 10 of the Bulldogs' shots being on target compared to Ole Miss' seven shots on goal.

"We tied a very good team," MSU coach Tom Anagnost said. "Give a lot of credit to Ole Miss. They are definitely a very strong soccer team with some excellent players."

The Bulldogs took the lead in the 36th minute on a beautiful fade-away header from Brooke McKee. The Madison, Ala., junior took a corner kick from Mallory Eubanks and drilled it in for her eighth goal of the season and third of the week.

The Rebels nearly tied up the contest in the 63rd minute when CeCe Kizer tapped in a shot into the lower right part of the goal. However, the official had his flag raised waving off the Ole Miss score on an offside call.

Ole Miss knotted things up in the 70th minute when Gabby Little found Kizer for her 16th goal of the year.

Just after Kizer's goal, Khalyn Harmon fired a strike that was bobbled by Ole Miss goalkeeper Marnie Merritt but Merritt was able to corral it for the save. She reeled in nine saves on the day for the Rebels.

Despite giving up a goal, Catalina Perez had another spectacular night in front of the net for the Maroon and White, hauling in six saves and preventing countless Ole Miss chances by using her athleticism to snag multiple crosses out of the air.

In the 80th minute, Perez again displayed her supreme athleticism by diving on a loose ball to prevent the Rebels from even getting a shot off.

The Bulldogs nearly scored the golden goal in the 108th minute when MaKayla Waldner's header from just one yard away was right on target but was corralled by Merritt. It was one of two late chances for Waldner, as she also had an excellent strike earlier that just missed hitting the back of the net.

"All in all, it wasn't a bad day," Anagnost said. "We got a point against a Top-25 team. I look at it as we've grown. Hopefully, we can build on it."

Next Up For MSU…

The Bulldogs will look to improve their standing for the Southeastern Conference tournament in their final regular-season match against nationally-ranked Texas A&M, which currently sits ninth in the most recent NCAA RPI. Admission is free and the match will be streamed live on SEC Network+.

For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateSOC." You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."