Dawgs Brush Past Bisons, 2-0, to Remain Undefeated

Thursday, August 25

Starkville

6:30 p.m.

Mississippi State

2-0-1, 0-0-0

Lipscomb

1-2-0, 0-0-0

Lipscomb

Mississippi St.

Dawgs Brush Past Bisons, 2-0, to Remain Undefeated

August 25, 2022 | Soccer

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Jen Smith, Assistant Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State soccer program registered its first home win of the season Thursday night, beating Lipscomb, 2-0, behind goals from Maggie Wadsworth and Ally Perry. The goals mark the first of their careers for both underclassmen.

"I thought that was our best performance of the season so far on both sides of the ball," head coach James Armstrong said. "We were aggressive, we won tackles, we won second balls, we had two quality finishes and we could've scored a few more. We're really proud of the effort of the girls, and it's a confidence boost going into a big Sunday game [against Minnesota]."

After opening its season with a scoreless draw, State has now recorded at least two goals in its last two games. Wadsworth scored the first goal of the evening, ten minutes into the match, on an assist from Perry. State would only record three more shots in the opening frame, its lowest shot total in a half all season.

The second half, however, MSU fired off nine shots and held Lipscomb to a single shot. One of the nine from State, in the 54^th minute, would get launched from distance from Perry to give the Bulldogs a two-goal advantage.

"Ally's had lots of chances where it's just nearly gone in - she had one in the first half today, so she deserves that," Armstrong added. "She had the mentality to keep going and take the shot when it came next to her, and what a goal it was."

All five goals for MSU have been scored by underclassmen with four of those being logged by newcomers: sophomore transfer Haley McWhirter, freshmen Alivia Buxton and Wadsworth. Perry is, currently, the only returning-Bulldog to register a goal in the 2022 campaign.

"We've got a great blend of experience and youth," Armstrong said. "The good thing for us is that the youth has come in and just blended straight away."

The shutout victory is the eighth total for goalkeeper Maddy Anderson, and moves her into a tie for fifth all-time on the MSU shutout record list. The victory also marks the 17^th home-opening win for State in program history.

The Bulldogs will be back in action Sunday, Aug. 28, for a contest against Minnesota. The match is scheduled for a 12:30 p.m. CT kickoff and will be aired, nationally, on ESPNU.

Keeping Up With MSU Soccer

For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateSOC" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.