MSU Falls, 2-1, in Final Five Minutes Against BYU

Saturday, August 24

Starkville

7:00 PM

Mississippi State

BYU

MSU Falls, 2-1, in Final Five Minutes Against BYU

August 24, 2019 | Soccer

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STARKVILLE – Niah Johnson tied the match in the second half, but Mississippi State could not preserve the lead as a goal from BYU in the 85^th minute handed the Bulldog soccer program its first loss.

MSU saw its 20-match unbeaten streak in regular-season, non-conference matches snapped by BYU's Elise Flake and Mikayla Colohan who scored in the 21^st and 85^th minutes, respectively.

"Obviously, I'm really proud of the girls," Armstrong said. "We asked them to leave it out there on the field, and each and every single one of them put in 100 percent. A little bit of luck run against us at the end there, but lots of positives to take from it."

Flake opened the scoring in the 21^st minute as the Cougars dominated the first half. Flake won the race to a loose ball against MSU goalkeeper Gabby English then dribbled a few yards before depositing the ball in the open net.

MSU was outshot 10-2 in the first half and conceded four corner kicks, but was able to limit the damage.

The Bulldogs came out with renewed energy in the second half. The back line blocked multiple shots and cut out dangerous crosses in the first five minutes, but then the momentum began to shift.

Kristen Malebranche made a huge clearance on a loose ball at the penalty spot in the 50^th minute, beating the attacker to the ball by a split second. Moments later Monigo Karnley had one of State's best chances, but missed just inches outside the left post.

In the 61^st minute, MaKayla Waldner fired a rocket of a shot off the right post that would have tied the match. She later broke free in the 65^th minute, but was taken down from behind inside the box to earn a penalty kick. Johnson took the penalty and beat the keeper for State's lone goal.

"There were chances created," Armstrong added. "We scored a great goal, so I'm really happy for the fight from the team, concentration to the details and the game plan and looking forward to the next game."

In the 75^th minute, BYU fired a shot from the right corner of the box, but Gabby English made a diving stop for one of her five saves on the night to preserve the tie. In the 85^th, BYU was awarded a free kick less than a yard outside the box that Colohan would score on for the game-winning goal.

MSU had one final chance after regaining possession with just 40 seconds on the clock. The Bulldogs brought the ball all the way up the pitch before being stalled with a throw-in at about the 15 second mark. State got the ball in and found Karnley in the box where she put a shot on the lower left corner of the goal, but a diving save from the Cougar keeper as time expired resulted in the final score.

The Bulldogs will travel to Eastern Washington and Idaho next week for two matches. MSU will kick off at Eastern Washington at 6 p.m. CT on Aug. 30 with the contest airing on WatchBigSky.com.

For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateSOC."